Texas Rangers: Will Adrian Beltre Call It a Career?

With Adrian Beltre’s most recent hamstring injury, some are wondering if it’s time for the Texas Rangers star to call it a career.

Texas Rangers third baseman suffered another hamstring injury Monday, August 13th in the 8th inning of a 5-3 win over the Arizona Diamondbacks. Beltre, looking to score from second on a Robinson Chirinos single, slowed up halfway between third and home. Immediately fans and writers noted the incident and voiced concern that he may have tweaked his hamstring again. Suspicions were confirmed when Jurickson Profar took over at third base for the Rangers in the top of the 9th inning.

After the game, Jeff Wilson of the Star Telegram tweeted that Beltre indeed was scheduled for an MRI on Tuesday.

No roster decision with Adrian Beltre will be announced until Thursday but a DL stint looks like a likely possibility. If Beltre does hit the DL, it’ll be his third stint of the season with the first two also due to his nagging hamstring problems. At 39 years old, Beltre’s health concerns have increased over the past couple of seasons with a few trips to the DL. The question now is, if he does hit the DL again, could it spell the end of his career in Texas.

My Thoughts

I’m not the first to wonder if Beltre’s time in Texas is coming to an end. However, because I enjoyed the pleasure of seeing the game in person with my dad, I saw the play in person and had my opinion pretty quickly. Obviously the severity of the injury is the key in determining whether or not Adrian decides to hang it up. I think if the injury is one that knocks him out for a couple of weeks, but he can return before the end of the season, Adrian will call it a career. However, if the injury is one where he really has no opportunity to return before the season ends, I wouldn’t be shocked to see him come back for another season.

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Adrian strikes me as the type of player who would want to go out playing, not one who would want a DL stint to be the last thing he does as a Major Leaguer. A future Hall of Famer, Beltre is a competitor who has a visible passion for the game which leads me to believe he wants his “ride into the sunset” to be on his terms. It’s not like when he’s healthy he’s a liability either. He still is an above average hitter and has an above average glove at third base. Obviously the hamstring injuries are piling up which is concerning, but Texas would have no issue bringing him back on a mutually beneficial contract for one final season.

Clearly I’m just speculating but I fully believe that Adrian Beltre has earned the right to decide his own fate not just with the Rangers, but with the game of baseball and I don’t believe he’ll let his Hall of Fame career end on the DL.

Career Notes

• Silver Slugger: ’04, ’10, ’11 ’14
• Gold Glove: ’07, ’08, ’11, ’12, ’16
• Platinum Glove: ’11, ’12
• All Star Games: ’10, ’11, ’12, ’14
• All Time Lists
  • Games Played: 14th (2,900)
  • Hits: 20th (3,137)
  • Homeruns: 33rd (469)
  • Doubles: 12th (627)
  • Defensive WAR: 10th (29.2)
  • Def. Games as 3B: 2nd (2,748)