Late in Tuesday night's game against the A's, Rangers third baseman Adrian Beltre sent a line drive to the gap that would have gone for a double. Instead, he hobbled into first base with an obvious hamstring injury and immediately departed the game (highlight here). The Rangers announced Wednesday that he's been placed on the 10-day disabled list with a strained left hamstring.
Beltre is no stranger to muscle issues in his legs. Last season he dealt with calf and hamstring injuries. In 2016, there was a hamstring injury. We've even seen him playing in the postseason at less than 100 percent, hobbling after every base hit. Hey, he's 39 years old and in his 21st MLB season. It happens.
The good news here is that Beltre reportedly only has a Grade 1 strain in his left hammy, which is considered "mild." It's possible he only misses two to three weeks. Honestly, given his age and hamstring injury, I initially feared something like six weeks when watching Wednesday night.
The bad news for the Rangers is that they now have a better infield on the disabled list than the active roster. Second baseman Rougned Odor also has a hamstring strain while shortstop Elvis Andrus has a fractured elbow.
The starting infield for the Rangers Wednesday against the A's:
- 1B: Ronald Guzman
- 2B: Drew Robinson
- SS: Jurickson Profar
- 3B: Isiah Kiner-Falefa
The Rangers enter play Wednesday 8-17 and in last by a decent margin in the AL West.
Meantime, the baseball world is deprived of one of the more entertaining players and a likely future Hall of Famer in Beltre. So far this year, he is hitting .310/.366/.437 (117 OPS+) with eight doubles, one homer and eight RBI.
