Hamilton still hurting

Rangers outfielder Josh Hamilton is pushing his return from a shoulder ailment back to next week.

"I figure if a guy's going to have some down time, have it early," Washington said. "It's no concern."

Hamilton said he wants to make sure he gets healthy so the pain doesn't linger.

"I need to patient with it so I know when I go back out it's not going to hurt and I'm not going to have a setback," Hamilton said. "I don't want to make it mad again."

Fantasy Impact: He missed nearly half of last season with nagging injuries, so this news has to cause some concern. Hamilton had slipped to the middle rounds after an all-star performance in 2008 and then a subpar 2009. We expect him to produce like a No. 2 outfielder with the potential for major upside. If this spring injury continues to linger, call him no better than a No. 3 option due to injury concern.

Another Hamilton multi-hit game

Josh Hamilton makes it eight multi-hit games the last ten times out, going 4-4 with 2 RBI and a run scored in a 4-1 Rangers win over the Indians. Hamilton rips two doubles, his 12th and 13th of the season, and he ups his average to .260, the high-point since a .263 spike on July 7th.

Fantasy Impact: The sign of things to come? The once substance-addicted outfielder has been under scrutiny for recently admitting to backsliding at least once this offseason. He did take responsibility for the episode with his team and then again with the media, but the issue doesn't help his image much. It's more likely Hamilton's injuries that kept him back this season.