Texas Rangers outfielder Josh Hamilton will miss the rest of the season after undergoing knee surgery Wednesday.
The Texas Rangers knew Josh Hamilton would miss the rest of the 2016 season after having knee surgery, they just didn’t know how severe the injury was.
An article in the Star-Telegram explains the true extent of Hamilton’s injury:
"Josh Hamilton underwent an ACL reconstruction on his left knee Wednesday in Houston, a procedure that could end his career and is almost certain to end his time with the Texas Rangers. Dr. Walt Lowe, the Houston Texans’ knee specialist, performed the surgery and warned the Rangers last month that an ACL repair was a possibility. Lowe, though, wasn’t certain that it was needed until he examined the damage once inside the knee."
So what started as season-ending surgery has resulted in a possible career-ending procedure, which is terrible news for Hamilton.
The 2010 AL MVP has been on the disabled list for the entire 2016 season, and a total ACL reconstruction could lead to the 35-year-old never playing another game.
More from Call to the Pen
- Philadelphia Phillies, ready for a stretch run, bomb St. Louis Cardinals
- Philadelphia Phillies: The 4 players on the franchise’s Mount Rushmore
- Boston Red Sox fans should be upset over Mookie Betts’ comment
- Analyzing the Boston Red Sox trade for Dave Henderson and Spike Owen
- 2023 MLB postseason likely to have a strange look without Yankees, Red Sox, Cardinals
Hamilton has had a rocky career, going from being suspended for drug use to being one of the top players in the league.
This would be a terrible way for him to go, but the Rangers have no reason to let him go until it is clear he cannot play in 2017.
The Rangers only owe Hamilton $2 million in the last year of the five-year, $125 million contract he signed with the Los Angeles Angels in 2013.
The Angels basically paid Hamilton to leave town, which benefits the Rangers who are able to pay him a small percentage of his salary, while allowing him to rehab and potentially help the team in 2017.
Next: Should we believe in Houston Astros again?
If he cannot get healthy enough to play in 2017 his career will likely be over, but Hamilton’s path to redemption is one that can serve as inspiration and also as a cautionary tale to young baseball players.