ARLINGTON -- Adrian Beltre on Thursday raised the issue that hangs heavily over him and the Rangers.

"Is it worth it to fight back?" Beltre asked.

Beltre was referring to his latest in a series of leg ailments: a Grade 2 strain of the left hamstring. He missed his second consecutive game because of the injury. The Rangers, down by five runs early, rallied for an 8-6 victory against the Los Angeles Angels at Globe Life Park.

Beltre has been on the disabled list twice this season because of the same injury. Beltre and the club will wait a few more days before determining if he will go on the DL for the third time.

"That's the question now," Beltre said. "Physically, I don't feel that bad."

Beltre has been on the DL four times since opening day 2017 because of leg problems. Only four major league position players have had more DL stays in that span: Miami's Martin Prado with six, followed by Boston's Dustin Pedroia, Cleveland's Lonnie Chisenhall and Pittsburgh's Francisco Cervelli with five.

The younger Beltre played through a variety of injuries. It is more difficult to do that age 39. The injuries take a mental toll.

It makes Beltre wonder if he wants to come back next season at age 40 and go through this again, reduced to more of a part-time role because of injuries.

Beltre has missed 105 games since opening day 2017. In his first six seasons with the club, 2011-16, he missed 88 games.

There is a chance Beltre could appear in fewer than 100 games for the second consecutive season. That never happened in his first 18 full seasons.

"It brings a question of, 'Is this going to keep happening more often?'" Beltre said. "Is it a sign of, 'Maybe it's time to get close to saying goodbye to you guys?'"

Manager Jeff Banister has done his utmost to protect Beltre this season, with days off and more starts at designated hitter. The latest injury underscores how quickly Beltre's status can change.

His legs had not caused any problems for weeks. Beltre was so confident in the legs that during Monday's game against Arizona, he never hesitated in advancing on a wild pitch and scoring from second on a single.

When Beltre rounded third on the play, the hamstring barked at him. One play, and he was back in the training room.

"If I was feeling some kind of soreness, I would say maybe I would not run that hard," Beltre said. "But my leg was feeling great. I didn't get any hint that I was going to get this kind of injury. Sometimes, you can't prevent it. It just happens."

The alternative is to ask Beltre to go half-speed on everything, to never push the legs. The Angels' Albert Pujols, like Beltre a likely Hall of Famer, has had to play that way because of injuries. It can be painful to watch.

For Beltre, it would mean going against everything that has made him an elite player for a generation.

"It's difficult to tell you I'm going to be careful playing the game," Beltre said. "You just play the game. It's a situation where they ask you to do something, you're going to do it."

Beltre plans on playing again this season, even if he first must return to the DL. Does he want a long or short goodbye?

Beltre's missed games

A look at the annual missed games by Adrian Beltre during his time with the Rangers: