Josh Hamilton to start season on disabled list due to knee injury

The Texas Rangers managed to overcome a number of early injuries to win the American League West last season. While they aren't in rough shape yet in 2016, the club has already suffered its first significant injury of the year.

Outfielder Josh Hamilton will miss at least the first month of the regular season due to left knee inflammation. Hamilton was examined by Dr. James Andrews on Monday, who confirmed that diagnosis. It's the same knee Hamilton had surgery on last September.

The 34-year-old is expected to be on crutches for the next seven to 10 days. He received stem cell and platelet-rich plasma injections in order to aid in his recovery. The club is hoping to have him back May 1.

While the news is disappointing for the club, it's not exactly unexpected. Hamilton has been injury-prone over his career, and those issues have gotten worse as he's aged. The slugger was limited to just 50 games in what was supposed to be his come back season with the Rangers in 2015. He played in just 89 games in 2014 due to a thumb injury.

Those injuries have likely played a large role in Hamilton's decline over the past three seasons. After compiling a .304/.363/.549 slash line, and making the All-Star team five times during the first six seasons of his career, Hamilton has seen those numbers drop to .255/.312/.428 the past three years.

Despite those struggles, Hamilton's absence is a clear loss for the club. The team's current replacements, some combination of Ryan Rua, Justin Ruggiano and James Jones, don't exactly inspire a ton of confidence. It's worth noting that Ruggiano has been effective against left-handers over his career, so he could make for an interesting platoon guy.

If the team wanted to get aggressive, though, they have some more promising options in the minors. One-time uber-prospect Joey Gallo played 19 games in the outfield last season. While he was exposed at the plate, hitting just .204/.301/.417, with 57 strikeouts in 123 plate appearances, he remains a promising player. On top of that, Gallo has normally shown massive adjustments his second time around a new league, and could be slated to make big improvements.

The club also has 20-year-old outfielder Nomar Mazara lurking. Mazara is already considered among the best prospects in the game, he ranked fifth overall on Baseball Prospectus' top-101 list and 21st according to Baseball America. Mazara has played in just 20 games at Triple-A, in which he raked, but it would still be an extremely aggressive promotion.

Hamilton's injury should give each of the those players a shot at more playing time this spring. If Gallo shows some adjustment, it's possible he'll beat out more established veterans for the spot. While it would be tough to see Mazara breaking camp with the club as a 20-year-old, it's not totally out of the question.

The Rangers strong depth was a huge reason the team was able to defy early expectations and make a run in the second half. While regular season games haven't even started yet, it appears that depth is already going to come in handy as the team attempts to defend its crown in 2016.