Texas Rangers outfielder Josh Hamilton on Friday took practice swings for the first time all offseason after getting a cortisone shot in his troublesome left knee.
"I've just been fighting back and forth with it, just pushing through the rehab," Hamilton told the Fort Worth Star-Telegram on Friday. "[Dr. Keith Meister] put some cortisone in there, and I tell you what, man, to wake up this morning and put my shoe on without any pain was a wonderful thing. Everything else feels good."
Hamilton, who had two procedures on his knee since having surgery in September, last week had an MRI, which revealed an inflamed capsule, and got the shot Thursday.
"My body has felt good. My arm feels great. I feel good right now," Hamilton told the Star-Telegram. "I'm very confident now. ... I haven't had pain in 36 hours now. I'm excited."
Hamilton, the 2010 AL MVP, hit .253 for the Rangers with eight home runs and 25 RBIs in 50 games after being reacquired in a trade with the Los Angeles Angels at the end of April.