Josh Hamilton is starting over, calling his return to baseball a "small miracle."

Hamilton spoke Sunday before starting his rehab stint with the Round Rock Express against the Nashville Sounds. 

"It's really a small miracle that I got back here because it was a whole, big, long, ugly process," Hamilton said. "I feel like the Lord had his hand on it to get me back here. I feel like I'm in the place I'm supposed to be in now."

He went 1-for-3 with a single and two strikeouts before being pulled after five innings. Facing a 2-1 count in the first inning, Hamilton slapped a hit into left field. Barry Zito struck Hamilton out twice, once swinging and once looking, in the 7-0 loss to Nashville.