It appears Josh Hamilton will indeed get one last shot at the majors with the Texas Rangers.
The team's doctors visited Hamilton in Houston on Thursday and signed off on the oft-injured outfielder's health, according to the Star-Telegram. With that hurdle cleared, there's a "good chance" Hamilton will get a minor-league deal with the Rangers and an invitation to big-league spring training.
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The 2010 American League MVP had two professional at-bats last season, both in a rehab game with Double-A Frisco on April 30. He was recovering from a knee injury at the time and ended up having surgery in May to repair a torn anterior cruciate ligament. It was the third surgery on his left knee in 10 months.
Texas released Hamilton in August in a procedural move but indicated at the time it would be open to a reunion. He is entering the final season of a five-year, $125 million deal signed with the Angels in December 2012. That contract will pay him $28.4 million in 2017, but the Angels are on the hook for all but about $2 million of it.
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Anything the Rangers could possibly squeeze out of Hamilton would just be a bonus for the team, which is set in the outfield with Shin-Soo Choo, Carlos Gomez and Nomar Mazara. Reports Friday indicated a reunion with Mike Napoli could be in the offing, and manager Jeff Banister still needs to find at-bats for Joey Gallo somewhere, so the roster is a bit crowded.
But it won't cost the Rangers much to see if Hamilton is finally healthy enough to bear some resemblance to the man who for a brief time was one of the most feared hitters in the game.
