Josh Hamilton suffers another very public relapse

Rangers outfielder Josh Hamilton—the 2010 AL MVP and four-time All-Star whose battle with drug and alcohol addiction nearly ended his baseball career—had a relapse with alcohol at a Texas bar on Monday

Rangers outfielder Josh Hamilton was spotted consuming alcohol in a bar this week.

A ballplayer drinking in a bar would normally, of course, be a non-story, but given Josh Hamilton's history of substance abuse, he's been outspoken about avoiding drugs and alcohol.

This relapse comes at a time when the Rangers and Hamilton are supposedly talking about a long-term contract extension, which would keep Hamilton from becoming a free agent at the end of this season.

Along with the issue of Hamilton's history of health issues, Hamilton's past history of substance abuse is a concern that comes into play in determining how much to commit to Hamilton, and for how long.

A Rangers spokesman acknowledged the existence of a "situation," but said nothing else about what is going on, and all we really know at this point is that Hamilton was reportedly drinking.