ARLINGTON, Texas (AP) — Texas Rangers slugger Josh Hamilton is back in the lineup for the AL West champions.
Hamilton, the majors’ leading hitter and a top AL MVP candidate, is batting third and in center field for the Rangers’ game Friday night against the Los Angeles Angels. Hamilton has missed 24 games since Sept. 4, when he broke two ribs crashing into an outfield wall.
Hamilton went into Friday night’s game with a .361 average, 23 points higher than Colorado’s Carlos Gonzalez. Hamilton had 31 home runs and 97 RBIs in his first 130 games.
Manager Ron Washington plans for Hamilton to play six innings Friday night, then be the designated hitter Saturday against the Angels.
