ARLINGTON, Texas -- Josh Hamilton, the baseball savior, no longer exists. And that's OK.
The Texas Rangers would love to add that guy to their roster, but for now they just need someone better than Carlos Peguero, who is hitting sixth in the lineup most of the time these days.
Surely, Hamilton can provide more. If not, it's probably time for him to hang up his spikes.
Peguero has proven to be a classic 4A player, which is how baseball folks refer to a player who excels at Triple-A but struggles in the major leagues. Peguero hit 30 homers in only 104 games for Triple-A Omaha last season, but he's hitting .188 for Texas after an 0-for-4 performance in the Rangers' 6-3 loss to Kansas City on Thursday afternoon. In 69 at-bats spanning 28 games, Peguero has four homers and nine RBIs. He has struck out 35 times and has two hits in his last 25 at-bats.
Hamilton, acquired last month from the Los Angeles Angels, has gone 2-for-9 with two RBIs and two strikeouts in three games for Triple-A Round Rock after going through extended spring training in Surprise, Arizona.
Hamilton, who had shoulder surgery on Feb. 4, is expected to join the Rangers Double-A team in Frisco on Friday and stay with them through Wednesday. The Rangers will re-evaluate him after that to determine whether he's ready to join the big club next Friday in New York.
"All the reports I've gotten on him have been good," Rangers manager Jeff Banister said. "He's getting in shape and getting his swing back."
Hamilton had told the Rangers he'll play wherever they need him, whether it's one of the three outfield spots or DH. He's just happy to be back with the Rangers after two forgettable seasons with the Angels.
He played the best baseball of his career in Texas, and with his support group in place, Hamilton wants to recapture some of the mojo that made him the best player in the game only a few years ago. If there's any chance for him to become that player again, it'll be with the Rangers.
Prince Fielder has been spending much of his time at designated hitter, and Mitch Moreland will probably DH on the few days he's not playing first base. So it seems logical to stick Hamilton in left field and hit him either fifth behind Adrian Beltre or sixth behind Moreland.
The Rangers' offense, for the most part, has been abject much of the season. In the 15-team American League, the Rangers rank 12th in batting average (.233), slugging percentage (.369) and OPS (.681) and 10th in total bases (441), on base percentage (.312) and runs scored (142). It's hard to win consistently with that little production.
Fielder, who is batting .348, has been the one guy who has hit all season. Everyone else has been streaky.
Shin-Soo Choo, who had two more hits Thursday to extend his hitting streak to 14 games, has raised his average from .096 on April 29 to .243. Beltre has been hot this month, too, raising his average from .197 at the end of April to .243 after Thursday's game. It's amazing how much better an offense looks when it has a hot hitter such as Choo leading off.
The Rangers could use Hamilton's bat. They don't need him to be the guy who averaged 28 homers and 101 RBIs while hitting .305 in five seasons with the Rangers. Heck, they'll take the player who averaged 16 homers and 62 RBIs while hitting .255 with the Angels.
Something is much better than the next-to-nothing Peguero has given them.
"When he gets here, he gets here," Banister said of Hamilton. "Until then, I've got 25 players that I have to manage and try to win ballgames. We'll be ready for him when he gets here."
The Rangers look forward to Hamilton's arrival, because their offense needs whatever he has left.
