Josh Hamilton visited specialist in Los Angeles for rib injury

Josh Hamilton hasn’t played since bruising his ribs crashing into the outfield wall on September 4 and Richard Durrett of ESPNDallas.com reports that the MVP candidate visited a specialist in Los Angeles yesterday to get another opinion on the injury. Hamilton has been completely shut down since experiencing pain while trying to take some swings last Tuesday, receiving a pair of cortisone shots during that time. Ron Washington declined to comment on Hamilton’s status because “that would be speculating.” Texas’ big cushion in the AL West means they can play it very safe with Hamilton with an eye toward simply having him healthy for the playoffs. Plus, while filling in for Hamilton over the past two weeks David Murphy has hit .397. Hamilton leads the league in batting average (.361), slugging percentage (.635), and OPS (1.049) while ranking second in on-base percentage (.414) and fourth in homers (31) despite missing 19 games (and counting).