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Rangers 3B Michael Young Hopes to Return from Injury Against Angels on September 18

ARLINGTON - Texas Rangers 3B Michael Young was told Wednesday afternoon that the hamstring strain he suffered on Tuesday night was slightly more than a Level 1 strain. He was then shown a needle the length of a ballpoint pen and given a rather painful injection.

All of this he welcomed as good news, bordering on great, because it means he still has a chance to impact the playoff race.

“On the way home last night, I was certain my season was over,” Young said. “When [team orthopedist Dr. Keith Meister] looked at me and kind of smiled after reading the MRI, I treated it as very good news. I could get upset about missing some time or I could visualize the impact I could have on the last two weeks of the season. As down as I was about it last night, what I was told today was very uplifting. It’s only going to give me more energy about being aggressive with my rehab.”

Doctors told him that the recovery period could take between two and three weeks. Young immediately consulted a Rangers schedule and saw that the mid-point of that recovery period just happens to coincide with the arrival of the AL West-leading Los Angeles Angels in Arlington on Sept. 18. The teams play a three game series. Eight days later they play four games in Los Angeles. The Rangers also have a three-game series with Tampa Bay, currently third in the AL wild card race, Sept. 25-27. Young hopes to be available to play in all of those games.

The firs step to the recovery was the MRI, which revealed that muscle hadn’t completely torn and that there were no complications with the area of the hamstring where he suffered the strain. Then came an injection of blood platelets, a rather new treatment, that is designed to accelerate healing. Young will likely ice and stretch the hamstring through the weekend, then begin testing it by riding the stationary bike and getting on a treadmill.

In the meantime, the Rangers will have to figure out what to do about third base for two weeks. INF Omar Vizquel replaced Young there on Tuesday. 1B Chris Davis moved to third for Wednesday’s game with 1B Hank Blalock moving back into the starting lineup. SS Elvis Andrus moved up to the No. 2 spot in the lineup to replace Young.

Manager Ron Washington said Davis’ move was simply an emergency answer for Wednesday. He anticipates using a mix of Vizquel and INF Esteban German at third. Washington ruled out moving Blalock back across the infield to his original position.

“I’m not going to Chris back and forth,” Washington said. “It may happen again, but I’m not going to be moving him back and forth regularly. I’m not going to move Hank over there. He hasn’t been there in two years.”

Young will travel with the team to Baltimore and Cleveland for a road trip that start on Friday. The Rangers then play Seattle and Oakland at home from Sept. 11-16 before the Angels arrive. Young said he doesn’t anticipate having to be at 100 percent before returning, but also indicated he wants to make sure he can play the maximum number of games without further injury.

Young, who is hitting .322 with 22 homers has never been on the disabled list in his career. He has played 1,343 games since being called up for good on May 25, 2001. In that time only Ichiro Suzuki (1,352), Miguel Tejada (1,348) and Bobby Abreu (1,347) have played more games than Young.