The Texas Rangers will be without outfielder Josh Hamilton when they take on the Seattle Mariners in a three-game series in Seattle this weekend as he continues to be tested and evaluated for vision issues, according to Evan Grant of The Dallas Morning News.
Hamilton was pulled from the Rangers game against the Los Angeles Angels on Tuesday because of blurred vision, and sat out the final two games of the series. The 31-year-old speculated that his vision issues might have been related to a sinus infection that he believes he caught from his family, but doctors have been unable to find a cause for the ailment.
Rangers manager Ron Washington is being cautious with his slugger, but remains optimistic that Hamilton will be back in the lineup before the end of the season.
"My level of concern has not wavered on this," Washington said. "We want to do what we can to give him peace of mind. If we can do that, we think then we can just go on. He will play for us again this year. Don't worry about that."
Hamilton has had a phenomenal year for the A.L. West leading Rangers (89-60) with 42 home runs, 123 RBI and a .287 batting average. Center fielder Craig Gentry should see more time in the outfield in Hamilton's absence.
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