Good morning A’s fans!
Yesterday we got a bit of injury news regarding several key players. Some of the news was good, and some was not as encouraging. The good news is that there hasn’t been bad news. Which is good news!
Starting
with Jacob Lopez, there is currently no timetable for a potential return. One would think that with only 29 games left in the season that they would have simply just shut him down and called his rookie season a success. His final performance really screwed up his bottom line stats but he’s been more than solid for this squad. He’s been a massive revelation for the club this year, an uncovered gem in a lost season.
That said, manager Mark Kotsay not only didn’t rule out Lopez for the remainder of the year, but he’s actively hoping to get the lefty back on the mound before the season wraps up, even if it’s just for a quick inning or two to prove that he’s actually healthy:
On the one hand, it would give Lopez, the coaches, front office, and the fans some peace of mind during the offseason that the emerging lefty is healthy and ready to go come spring next year. That’s the most important thing. And on the other hand, Lopez has already eclipsed his career-high in innings pitched professionally in a single season, and this injury could be a warning to not push it with the 27-year-old. If the A’s are planning to make any noise next year they’ll need a healthy Lopez making every fifth start. Is it worth it to push Lopez to get just a couple extra innings out of him instead of just shutting it down? Something to keep an eye on as the season comes to a close.
Next up we have infielder Max Muncy. Still just 23, the former 1st-rounder has had his fair share of struggles in his first taste of the big leagues. He’s hitting just .215/.258/.385 with nine home runs on the season but he was starting to at least make progress at the plate, specifically in the power department. The timing of his broken hand has forced the A’s to use stop-gap solutions at third base that have little long-term value. He’s now missed over a month and will likely miss at least a couple more weeks before a rehab assignment, so he’s on track with that initial 6-8 week timeline. Muncy could very well be one of the top options the A’s go with at the hot corner next year so getting him back even for a couple weeks of playing time would be helpful.
Back to the pitching side of things, Luis Severino sounds like he’s making progress in his return from his left oblique strain. It never sounded as though it was too serious of a strain and he’s certainly making quick progress. He’s missed three weeks at this point so one would imagine at least one rehab start would be in order for the expensive right-hander.
Sticking with the arms, fellow righty Jack Perkins got a shot in the top of his right shoulder that should hopefully make the irritation recede. This injury could ultimately wind up ending the 25-year-old’s season but it’s also not as serious of a potential long-term injury as Lopez’s elbow is. There doesn’t seem to be as much risk letting Perkins’ strain heal and getting him back out on the mound a bit more to wrap up his rookie campaign if he feels he can handle it. At the same time just like Lopez, Perkins is likely to be a big contributor to next year’s squad and keeping him healthy is the most important thing. Walking a fine line with these young pitchers is not something I envy Kotsay for.
And wrapping up the injury news update, stud outfielder Denzel Clarke is making slow progress in his return from a strained adductor muscle. On the shelf since late July, Clarke hasn’t even begun hitting or running, two things you need to do in baseball. At this point it’s seeming more unlikely than not that we’ve seen all of Clarke that we will see this year, but that shouldn’t make you forget how he made you feel when he was making near-daily highlight reel grabs in center field. Even if he doesn’t come back this year, we have that to look forward to next season. Now about that bat…
That’s all we got. Other than the second game of the Tigers series tonight. Have a great day everyone!
A’s Coverage:
- A’s Strike Late, Beat Tigers 8-3
- Lineup Order Doesn’t Matter Much… Until It Does
- A’s roster moves: Zack Gelof recalled, Luis Urias DFA’d
- Lopez diagnosed with forearm tightness after rough start
- Morales continues to impress with 1st quality start
- 2024 second-rounder swats first Double-A homer
- Latest Athletics injuries and transactions
MLB News & Interest:
- Ron Washington recovering from Quadruple bypass; hopes to continue managing Angels next year
- Rangers’ Marcus Semien to miss rest of regular season with fractured foot
- Orioles set to activate ace Kyle Bradish on Tuesday
- Dodgers activate Kike Hernandez
- Aaron Boone: Yankees still consider Anthony Volpe starting shortstop
- Twins starter Jose Urena elects free agency
- 10 farm systems with the best pitching prospects
- Tennessee man named Babe Ruth charged with fraud
- Today in Baseball History
Best of X:
New designated opener?
Hope you all have Netflix:
A season-ending injury for one of the return pieces in the Miller/Sears trade:
