The Texas Rangers?placed injury-plagued outfielder Josh Hamilton on unconditional release waivers Tuesday, while leaving open the possibility of the former MVP rejoining the team on a minor league deal in 2017.Hamilton underwent season-ending surgery in June to repair torn cartilage in his left knee, and he said in late July that he?expects to be fully healthy and ready in time for spring training.The 35-year-old outfielder was activated off the 60-day disabled list and then placed on waivers. The move, which was expected, affords Hamilton the opportunity to return to the Rangers for spring training on a non-roster deal. If the Rangers hadnt placed him on waivers by the end of August, Hamilton wouldnt have been able to play for them until after May 15, 2017, per Major League Baseballs contract rules.Rangers general manager Jon Daniels told reporters in a conference call that he had discussed the move with Hamilton, most recently on Tuesday.Im hopeful that if hes healthy and our roster is in a spot where wed still like to have him back, we can work it out, Daniels said. But thats still a few steps down the line.Weve talked about it for a period of time, and he understands why we did it.In the series of moves, the Rangers also recalled right-hander Shawn Tolleson from the minors and put him on the 60-day DL, creating a spot for left-hander Derek Holland to return from the DL and start against the Cincinnati Reds on Tuesday night.Hamilton had surgery June 8 to reconstruct his ACL, and he also had repairs done to his meniscus and lateral cartilage in the knee.That was Hamiltons third surgery on the knee since September, along with cortisone shots and a stem cell and platelet-rich plasma injection during spring training that may have led to more damage.Hamilton was a five-time All-Star and the 2010 AL MVP in his five seasons with the Rangers from 2008 to 12. He left in free agency and signed a $125 million, five-year contract with the AL West rival Los Angeles Angels.The Angels traded Hamilton back to Texas last year when he was coming back from shoulder surgery, and agreed to pay the Rangers for all of his $24 million salary this season and $22 million of the $24 million the outfielder is due in 2017, the last year of that contract. Hamilton played only 50 games last season, hitting .253 with eight homers and 25 RBIs.The Associated Press contributed to this report. Wholesale Custom Cardinals Shirts . Mitch Holmberg added a goal and three assists. Connor Chartier also scored for the Chiefs (3-0-0). Luke Harrison spoiled Garrett Hughsons shutout bid with a power-play goal at 13:17 of the third period. The Spokane goaltender finished with 28 saves, including a Brandon Fushimi penalty shot in the second period that would have tied the game 1-1. Cheap Cardinals Jerseys . Fellow centre Pavel Datsyuk remains out because of a concussion. Zetterberg has 11 goals and 19 assists for a team-high 30 points, and Datsyuk has a team-high 12 goals and 11 assists. http://www.custommlbcardinalsjersey.com/ . With Parker having a quiet game for once, Nicolas Batum and Boris Diaw provided the scoring as France won its first major basketball title by beating Lithuania 80-66 on Sunday. It was a victory that ended a decade of frustration for Parker and a talented French generation, which lost the final against Spain two years ago and took bronze in 2005. Custom Cardinals T-shirts . Pirlo limped out of Sundays 1-0 win over Udinese after just 13 minutes. Juventus says Pirlo underwent tests on Monday which revealed he has "a second-degree lesion to the collateral medial ligament in his right knee. Custom Ozzie Smith Jersey . In Europe, top teams seem to be largely happy with their squads after spending nearly $1 billion in the off-season. And although English league clubs are unlikely to splash cash in January, Arsenal and Chelsea could be tempted to strengthen their squads with new strikers. The Kiwis will need a strong start in the Four Nations rugby league final to keep Australias big forward pack on the back foot, coach David Kidwell believes.The New Zealanders have yet to beat the Kangaroos in 2016, with last weeks 14-8 Four Nations pool match loss their third defeat of the year.The defending Four Nations champions suffered a 16-0 Anzac Test loss in May, and were thumped 26-6 in Perth last month.The Kiwis were in danger of missing out on the Four Nations final after being held to an 18-18 draw against Scotland at the weekend, but Australias 36-18 win over England means they will defend their title at Anfield early on Monday (AEDT).Kidwell says its important that the Kiwis get things right from the start, after their execution proved lacking in previous games.I thought Australias big men and outside backs really got them on the front foot - its something weve got to look at and make sure our executions right, he said.Weve got to have the right attitude for Sunday, but Ive got full confidence in this team and the way weve prepared.dddddddddddd.Skipper Jesse Bromwich says his team know only too well the importance of a good start, something that eluded them in their 34-2 World Cup final loss to Australia three years ago at Old Trafford.If theres anything weve learned, its probably about our start. They came out really hard there, blew us off the park really early and we just couldnt find our feet after that, he said.Its a big ask against Australia, theyve got a very big forward pack. But its something weve been working on, and hopefully we can show that on Sunday.Kidwell still has a tricky decision to make on a replacement for five-eighth Thomas Leuluai, who suffered a double jaw fracture against Scotland.Te Maire Martin is one option, but lacks international experience, while versatile Melbourne Storm backrower Tohu Harris is another possibility after starting at No.6 against Australia two years ago. ' ' '