Josh Hamilton Released from Hospital Following Bout with Intestinal Virus

Texas Rangers star outfielder Josh Hamilton is reportedly back home and resting after a bout with an intestinal virus left him in the hospital Friday.

According to ESPN, Hamilton’s family had been battling a virus earlier in the week and on Thursday, during the Rangers 11-3 loss to Arizona, the star slugger left the game prematurely after complaining of stomach pains.

“That’s why he came out, he said he had a stomachache,” Rangers Coach Ron Washington said at the time. “I didn’t know it was going to lead to him being in the hospital.”

After his overnight stay in the hospital on Friday in which he was treated for dehydration, the 2010 AL MVP was released early Saturday morning.

USA reports that Hamilton will miss the Rangers game Sunday against Houston but is expected to fly out Sunday and accompany the team to San Diego for a series that starts Monday.

“We’re going to miss Hamilton, but we’re going to move forward and continue to play,” Washington said. “You don’t want your best player not to be in the lineup, but there’s nothing we can do about it.”

According to ESPN, triple-A outfielder Leonys Martin was called up on Friday to take Hamilton’s place.

On the year, Josh Hamilton is hitting .330 with 22 homers and 62 RBIs in 60 games. While he was red-hot in the months of April and May (earning AL player of the month in both), the 31-year-old hasn’t been able to keep that momentum going into June so far.

In June, Hamilton is batting .196 with one homer and five RBIs.