Josh Hamilton strained his left calf during the Angels' spring training workouts on Tuesday afternoon, according to Bill Shalkin of the Los Angeles Times.
Josh Hamilton injury: Angels outfielder suffers strained calf
The Angels slugger left the team’s clubhouse in crutches and will have to stay off his feet for a few days.
Al Messerschmidt
Hamilton was participating in baserunning drills when he suffered the injury and underwent an MRI, which confirmed the strain. The outfielder left the Angels clubhouse on crutches and will have to stay off his feet for a couple of days.
Hamilton's ailment is one of two injuries that affected Angels players on Tuesday, as C.J. Wilson narrowly avoided a scary injury when he was struck on the left side of the head by a line drive while throwing live batting practice. An MRI later indicated that Wilson avoided a concussion and shouldn't miss any time.
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The same cannot be said for Hamilton, who will be sidelined for at least a few days with the calf strain. The 32-year-old picked up the injury when he went to plant his left foot to run after taking a lead off first base.
“I can’t straighten it right now,” Hamilton said Tuesday. “It sucks I felt really good swinging the bat. I’m not going to rush back. There’s no reason to rush.”
For now Hamilton will take his rehab “a week at a time” and see how the calf responds to a few days of rest.
The left-handed slugger had a disappointing campaign in 2013 after signing a five-year, $125 million contract with the Angels last offseason. He hit .250/.307/.432 with 21 home runs and 79 RBI in his first year with the Angels, seeing his numbers drop off across the board after a 43-home run campaign for the Rangers in 2012.
The calf injury is surely not how Hamilton wanted to start his 2014 season, but unless he has a setback, the outfielder shouldn't miss too much time during spring training. For their part, the Angels will need a healthy Hamilton, who, along with star teammate Albert Pujols, underperformed last season.
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