Josh Hamilton Released from Minor League Contract by Texas Rangers

The Texas Rangers released Josh Hamilton from his minor league contract on Friday, according to USA Today's Bob Nightengale and WFAA's Mike Leslie.  

The Dallas Morning News' Brandon George relayed a statement from Hamilton shortly after the news broke: 

Hamilton, 35, had not appeared in a game for the Rangers since 2015 due to recurring knee issues. He was reassigned to the minor leagues on March 20, shortly before the start of the 2017 regular season. 

Hamilton missed the start of the 2016 season with left knee inflammation, but he was projected to make his debut sometime around mid-May. 

However, the knee continued to give Hamilton problems and he eventually had surgery to repair cartilage damage. At the same time, it was announced Hamilton was forced to undergo ACL reconstruction. 

Problems cropped up again in February, when Hamilton had to go under the knife to repair torn cartilage in his left knee, according to MLB.com's TR Sullivan. 

Set to turn 36 next month, it's fair to wonder if Hamilton—who's a career .290 hitter with 200 home runs and 701 RBI—has much gas left in the tank. 

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