Within a two-hour span Monday, the Rangers revealed that they picked up
manager Ron Washington’s option for 2010, that Josh Hamilton would
undergo surgery to repair a torn abdominal muscle and that Brandon
McCarthy was diagnosed with a stress fracture in his right shoulder.
Taking them one at a time:
– Washington’s option was an easy call. There were times last year
at which it didn’t seem he’d last into 2009, but with the Rangers off
to such a fine start, there shouldn’t have been any hesitation In
guaranteeing his modest salary for another year. I still don’t think
Nolan Ryan is sold on Washington, but his players seem quite fond of
him. If Washington leads the team to the postseason, then he should get
a real contract extension over the winter.
– Hamilton is slated to miss 4-6 weeks following surgery on Tuesday.
He should come back after the All-Star break and produce, but last
year’s 156-game season will likely go down as a fluke from a player who
has spent much of his pro career sidelined due to injury when not
suspended because of drugs. Marlon Byrd has replaced him in center
field, with David Murphy picking up most of the time in left. Andruw
Jones remains a backup despite his 933 OPS in 92 at-bats. Murphy is at
708 in 112 at-bats.
– McCarthy’s loss could prove to be bigger, depending on whether
this stress fracture is worse than the one that kept him out in 2007.
Incredibly, he was able to return after just a month off when he
suffered a stress fracture in his shoulder blade in Aug. 2007. McCarthy
has a 4.92 ERA this season, but he’s pitched fairly effectively in
eight of his 11 starts. The Rangers were expected to put Derek Holland
back into the bullpen to make room for the returning Matt Harrison, but
he’ll probably have to remain a starter now. It’s a very good thing the
Rangers had yet to pay anyone to take Vicente Padilla off their hands.
