Carlos Lee has been one of the most durable players in baseball; coming into 2012 he had played 150 or more games in 10 different seasons and had been on the disabled list just once.
This year, he made that two such trips; he strained his hamstring. He's now back, after spending the mininum 15 days on the DL. Brian McTaggart:
Lee was hitting .297 with four homers and 23 RBIs before straining his hamstring two weeks ago and going on the disabled list for only the second time in his career. The Astros activated him after Saturday night's 8-3 loss at Texas after he went 5-for-10 in three games on a rehab assignment at Double-A Corpus Christi. Brett Wallace was optioned to Triple-A Oklahoma City.
"He's not hitting for as much power, but he's at least a threat because of what he's capable of doing, and he can still reach the seats," Astros manager Brad Mills said of Lee. "He doesn't swing and miss very much and doesn't strike out a whole lot."
Wallace actually did well in Lee's absence, going 12-for-36 (.333) with two home runs. Lee is in the final year of his deal with the Astros, though with them moving to the American League in 2013, there might be room for him to stick around as a DH.
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