Hamilton into Rangers hall, hasn’t really thought about game

ARLINGTON, Texas (AP) — Josh Hamilton says he hasn’t really thought much about baseball since knee issues ended his career. He last played for the Texas Rangers in 2015, and went to spring training each of the two years after that.

The Rangers said Monday that 2010 AL MVP Hamilton and former Arlington Mayor Richard Greene will be inducted into the team’s Hall of Fame on August. 17.

The former slugger, who turns 38 on Tuesday, says it’s a great honor.

After Hamilton was the first overall pick in the 1999 amateur draft by Tampa Bay, his career was nearly destroyed by drug addiction. He returned to baseball with Cincinnati and made his big league debut in 2007, when he hit 19 homers in 90 games before getting traded to the Rangers. He was part of their only two World Series teams and was an All-Star five seasons in a row.