Happy Thursday everyone! Can you make it to the weekend?
The A’s have avoided a worst-case scenario with second baseman/third baseman/outfielder Zack Gelof after he suffered what looked like a gruesome hand injury on Tuesday night in the series opener against the Giants. From the looks of things it seemed to all of us who has the unfortunate chance to see it that he’d suffered some sort of serious hand injury and would need surgery, ending his first half before we even got to July.
Instead he got a clean
bill of health: no fractures shown on the x-ray, and no need for stitches. Just a bad cut, and a sore hand:
Every A’s fan was able to breath a sign of relief. Gelof has been irreplicable for the club this season. After being an afterthought and starting the year in Triple-A, he’s hit .282/.336/.498 with 11 long balls to go along with eight stolen bases. That, plus his versatility handling four separate positions (three of which are new to him), has helped him post 2.2 WAR in 62 games played. The A’s would not be where they are without the 26-year-old, who has reestablished himself within the organization with this first half.
That was fantastic early news, that an IL stint wasn’t even under consideration. Alas, the next day beat writer Martin Gallegos tempered hopes with a pre-game update:
Not unexpected news that he hasn’t made “a ton” of progress considering the play that caused the injury and it happening just a day ago. Kotsay still offered enough optimism that there seems to be a chance that Gelof can avoid the IL, but it might not be as sure of a thing after those first updates from two nights ago.
How many days is the question. He’s unlikely to be in the lineup this afternoon in the series finale, and then the club travels to Los Angeles to take on the Angels for a three-game weekend set. If the club feels he’s unable to play in that series they could elect to leave him in Sacramento and play down a man this weekend, hoping he can return on Monday to the starting lineup.
Or, the other option is to place him on the 10-day IL and backdate it to Tuesday. The A’s just split a four-game series at home against our division foes and playing down a man on the road this time won’t help matters. After that the club then has a date with the reigning champion Dodgers for three games at home, which may be the three hardest games the team plays all season. Should he miss the minimum, the earliest he could return would be next weekend at home against the Marlins.
Take for what you will, he was sported in the dugout during last night’s game, sporting some bandages:
The club could certainly use Gelof for the upcoming series against the Los Angeles squads. But hand injuries can be tricky and rushing him back could backfire. The team will need to make a decision one way or another before getting on a plane and heading down south for the weekend. Fingers crossed he wakes up this morning and that hand is feeling much better.
First pitch is at 12:45, Springs versus Roupp. Have a great one A’s fans.
A’s Coverage:
- It’s Harder To Win When You Don’t Understand Your Own Personnel
- A’s Suffer Heartbreaking Defeat Against Giants
- Fun Parallels To 2012 Emerging
- Robbie Ray Stymies A’s as Giants Take Game No. 1
- Gelof loses MLB-best hitting streak in painful way, but there’s reason for optimism
- A’s Squander Chances, Fall to Pirates in Series Equalizer
- As a ballpark rises in Las Vegas, owner John Fisher is pitching his A’s — and himself
- What’s next for the Oakland Coliseum? The future is ‘not bright’
- Alvarado’s return so dominant, he’s inviting a lofty comparison
- Why Front Office And Manager Should Be Embarrassed By Today’s Game
- Some Easy Fixes Rocket Science Aren’t
- Athletics’ Devin Taylor Emerges As All-Around Talent
- From celebratory pool dip to the A’s, Meneses’ journey back to Majors a memorable one
- Athletics Could Deal Hottest Triple-A Bat This Summer
- Status Report: Uncertainty Persists In 5 Places On The Diamond
MLB News and Interest:
- Cubs rotation takes 2 more blows as Cabrera, Brown hit IL
- Yanks to put McMahon on IL, but Oswaldo set for return (report)
- Diamondbacks Designate Carlos Santana For Assignment
- Marlins improve to MLB-best 16-5 in June in Eury’s return
- Twins GM says club has ‘no plans’ to trade OF Byron Buxton
- Mets move scuffling Kodai Senga to bullpen after loss
- Cardinals elevate Bill DeWitt to chief executive officer
- Braves Designate Carlos Carrasco For Assignment, Select Ian Hamilton
- Cy Young poll: New leader in loaded NL race; AL favorite solidifies standing
- Cubs’ Craig Counsell perplexed by rainout, irked by ‘bad rule’
- Cubs To Select Vince Velasquez
- Stearns says there’s still time for Mets to contend this season
- Today in Baseball History
Best of X:
Offseason signing is back on the free agent wire before July:
Worth checking out for A’s fans:
Gelof got hurt, but at least Civale had his bounce back performance.
Will the walls come crashing down, or can the A’s beat the odds?
