A surprisingly large amount of news after an off-day (and for those who weren't scoreboard watching last night, the Angels won, so the Rangers are now a full game back of Anaheim)...
The Rangers have signed international free agent Jurickson Profar and fourth round draft pick Andrew Doyle. Profar, I think most folks know about by now, a guy highly regarded as a pitcher but who wants to play shortstop, and the less heralded of the two international players the Rangers have been closely linked to for months (the other, of course, being Guillermo Pimentel).
Jeff Wilson writes that Josh Hamilton is expected back this weekend, and while there are a lot of expectations that his return will help jump-start the slumping offense, Wilson notes that there are no guarantees that that will happen.
There's a lengthy article on Brandon McCarthy's injury situation in the S-T. The stress fracture plaguing McCarthy is apparently rare in pitchers -- Eddie Correa and Kurt Ainsworth are the two pitchers mentioned in the article who have dealt with that issue -- but when McCarthy returns, the plan is to completely overhaul his mechanics, abandoning the "inverted W" that has caused so much controversy and changing his arm slot in an effort to reduce the stress on his body his delivery causes.
Wilson writes that all Rangers employees have been paid, and while I guess that is bad news, when the fact that you've met your payroll obligations is news, it doesn't bode well for your financial future.
Kevin Sherrington writes that Hicks' financial problems could spell big problems for the Rangers going forward if he doesn't find a buyer fast, and raises the question of whether MLB is going to continue to make funds available to the Rangers if they are planning on giving their top two draft picks slot-busting signing bonuses.
Inside Corner is hosting a couple of get-togethers for Rangers fans in mid-July, with one being at Pappasito's (with Jon Daniels and Ron Washington expected to attend), and another being at the Rangers game, with seats in the All You Can Eat Section of the Home Run Porch being available for $25.