DH Prince Fielder was out of the lineup Wednesday. The combination of facing lefty CC Sabathia plus a scheduled day off Thursday appealed to manager Jeff Banister.

DH Prince Fielder continues to excel against the Astros. Fielder slammed a two-run homer to right in the first inning Tuesday off Houston starter Scott Feldman. That blast, the second of the season for Fielder, pushed him to 21 RBIs in his last 20 games against the Astros. It was also his 30th-career homer against Houston, the most he has against any club. He's just the 19th player to have 30 homers against Houston.

DH Prince Fielder has collected hits in five of seven games and has reached base in six of seven this year. Fielder went 1-for-3, walked once and struck out once in the Rangers' 3-1 loss to the Los Angeles Angels on Sunday. Fielder extended his hitting streak to three games but is batting just .208 (5-for-24) after the season's first week.

DH Prince Fielder hit the Rangers' first home run, a three-run blast that accounted for the go-ahead runs in an eventual 9-5 loss to Seattle on Wednesday. Fielder finished 1-for-3 with a walk and has reached safely in each of Texas' first three games.

1B/DH Prince Fielder is no longer sleepless in Surprise. After Fielder complained about constantly not getting restful sleep, the Rangers sent him back to the Dallas-Fort Worth metroplex on Wednesday to be checked out. The tests diagnosed Fielder with extreme sleep apnea. It can be life threatening if breathing stops and starts during sleeping. Fielder ceased breathing 39 times per hour during the exams, while 30 is considered risky. "I wasn't panicking, but I wanted to make sure," Fielder said. "I felt like I was sleeping long, but I didn't feel rested.That was my concern, trying to figure out what was wrong with that. Now that I know, I can sleep through the night. My wife can sleep, too, since I don't snore."

DH Prince Fielder has been sent back to Texas to undergo a sleep study after experiencing insomnia-related issues at night since arriving in Arizona. The Rangers thought a sleep study might fix the problem and Fielder is expected to rejoin the team this weekend. "I think he's been feeling symptomatic for a while," Rangers assistant GM Thad Levine said. "Since it's only (early) March, we decided to fly him back to Texas to see if we can get him some help."

DH/1B Prince Fielder was selected the AL Comeback Player of the Year. Fielder, in his second season with Rangers, hit .305 with 23 home runs, 98 RBI, 28 doubles, 78 runs scored, a .378 on-base percentage and a .463 slugging percentage over 158 games as he helped Texas to its first AL West Division title since 2011. Fielder, 31, played just 42 games in 2014 following surgery for a herniated neck disk.

Fielder hit his 23rd home run and 28th double as part of a 3-for-4 game with four RBI in Monday's loss to Detroit.

In his last 15 games, Fielder now has seven multi-hit games, four three-hit games, and now two games with multiple extra-base hits. He is hitting a robust .317/.394/.587 in that stretch and has his season line up to .307/.379/.471. Fielder has shown up as a leader for this Rangers squad in its push for the playoffs and will have to be the rock in their lineup for the final six games.

Fielder went 1-for-4 with a two-run homer and a walk in a 9-1 win over the A's on Thursday.

Fielder was one of the hottest hitters in baseball last week, but he was just 2-for-27 over his previous seven games. It's been a frustrating season for Fielder's fantasy owners, but at the end of the day, we can't be disappointed with his numbers. In 148 games played, Fielder has 22 homers, 86 RBI and a .303 average.

Fielder smashed two homers, drove in five runs and scored three Wednesday, leading the way in a 14-3 demolition of the Astros.

The second half has not been kind to Fielder overall, as he entered the All-Star break hitting .339/.403/.521 with 14 homers, but had hit just four in the following 52 games before busting one out Monday against Houston. He was beginning to warm up before this series against the Rangers' divisional rivals, but Fielder has really exploded versus the Astros, going 8-for-13 with three homers, eight RBI and eight runs in the first three games of this four-game set.

Fielder hit his 19th home run, a two-run game-winner, as part of a 2-for-4 game with three runs scored Monday against Houston.

The home run was a massive one for the Rangers, who are now just a half-game behind the Astros for the American League West lead. Fielder's batting line is up to .309/.378/.463. Fielder was hitting just .205/.352/.295 in September before the blast, but he has four hits in his past two games and may be breaking out of the slump.

Fielder gets a rare start at first base on Monday and will be batting third, according to Stefan Stevenson of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram.

With the Rangers traveling to San Diego and playing in a National League park, Fielder is forced to pick up his glove once again. He replaces Mitch Moreland at first base, who finds himself the odd-man out on Monday.

Fielder is out of the lineup Sunday against the Tigers, Jeff Wilson of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram reports.

One of baseball's top iron men throughout his career, Fielder will surprisingly receive his second day off in four games, even as the Rangers remain competitive for the second wild-card spot in the American League. Now that Mike Napoli is in the fold to give the Rangers another option at first base or DH, it's possible that Fielder could see more rest against left-handed pitching, as will be the case Sunday with southpaw Matt Boyd on the hill for Detroit. Fielder is slashing .266/.335/.452 on the campaign versus same-handed pitchers.

Fielder is out of the lineup Wednesday against the Mariners.

Fielder's day off likely comes as a result of the left-handed Mike Montgomery starting for the Mariners. Mitch Moreland will serve as the club's DH Wednesday, while Mike Napoli receives the start at first base in the big man's absence.

Fielder went 2-for-6 Saturday with a double, two runs scored, three RBI and his 17th home run of the season.

It's his second home run and third multi-hit performance in seven August games. Fielder has cooled down a bit after his huge first half, slashing .259/.337/.420 in 21 games since the All-Star break, but he could be heating up again.

Fielder went 3-for-5 with two doubles, a walk and two runs scored Saturday against the Giants.

Fielder came into the game hitting .362 against right-handed pitching, and predictably abused starter Chris Heston. The hefty first baseman batted just .258 in a forgettable month of July, but he's off to a much better start in August. Fielder's .330/.400/.501 triple slash line on the season is amazing considering he missed most of 2014 with a neck injury, and he should have plenty left in the tank at age 31.

Fielder is not in the lineup Wednesday, Jeff Wilson of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram reports.

It looks like a scheduled day off for Fielder, who has played in every game since June 18. He'll cede first base duties to Mitch Moreland as the Rangers face Colorado in a National League park.

Fielder went 2-for-4 with a walk, a run scored, and three RBI in Monday's loss to the Rockies.

Two of Fielder's three RBI came on a ground ball to first base, as the Rockies' Ben Paulsen retreated to the dugout following the putout when there were only two outs, allowing both of the Rangers baserunners to score. Fielder's power totals have dried up a bit since his nine-homer May, but he's still performed as well this season as the Rangers could have hoped coming off neck surgery. He leads the team with 57 RBI and his .339 batting average ranks third in the majors among qualified hitters.

Fielder is not in the lineup for Thursday's game against the Dodgers.

After being a late addition to Wednesday's lineup, Fielder will get a day off Thursday with Zack Greinke on the mound for Los Angeles. Mitch Moreland will take over at first base and bat cleanup.

Fielder was a late addition to the lineup for Wednesday's game against the Dodgers, Jeff Wilson of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram reports. He will play first base and bat cleanup.

Fielder was initially out of the lineup, but Kyle Blanks was a late scratch with tendinitis in both Achilles tendons. As a result, Fielder will be in the lineup and face Clayton Kershaw. Fielder is 2-for-12 lifetime against the Dodgers' ace.