Report: Josh Hamilton Had An Alcohol-Related Relapse Earlier This Week [UPDATE]

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, reports Gerry Fraley of the .

Fraley writes:

According to individuals familiar with the episode, Hamilton drank alcohol on Monday night in an area bar. The circumstances that led to Hamilton's use of alcohol could not be determined.

In a statement, the Rangers said they were "aware of a situation, but we don't have further comment at this time.''

This was Hamilton's second alcohol-related relapse in just over three years. In January, 2009, he drank to excess in a bar in Tempe, Ariz.

That relapse was first chronicled around these parts in August 2009. Hamilton had no known relapses since then, until this week's.

UPDATE (12:45 a.m.): Ian Kinsler showed up at the bar to try to get Hamilton to return home, Fraley reports further.

Sources: Rangers' Josh Hamilton has relapse with alcohol at area bar [Dallas Morning News]