ARLINGTON -- Just when you thought it was going to be a good night for the Athletics on the health front, the injury bug struck yet again.
During the second inning of Tuesday 8-5 loss to the Rangers at Globe Life Field, Tommy White swung through a pitch from MacKenzie Gore and immediately winced with a look of discomfort before turning around and reaching for his left side. After a brief conversation with head athletic trainer Jeff Collins and manager Mark Kotsay, the 23-year-old rookie walked back to the dugout and was replaced mid-at-bat by pinch-hitter Michael Stefanic. After his exit, the team announced he was removed with lower back tightness.
White’s early exit came on a day in which the A’s were excited to get back their Opening Day center fielder in Denzel Clarke, who was reinstated from the 60-day IL on Tuesday for his first Major League game since April 20.
Even with Clarke’s return, though, the A’s injured list remains crowded with 11 players, including six of the 10 players from their Opening Day starters, among them starter Luis Severino. White could soon become the 12th member of that group depending on the severity of his injury.
White, whose presence in the big leagues right now is largely an opportunity created as a result of so many injuries, has held his own at the big league level as he entered Tuesday batting .255 with two home runs, five doubles and eight RBIs through his first 39 games.
Should White have to miss an extended amount of time, the A’s would likely cover third base – his main position – with several options on the active roster such as Zack Gelof, Max Muncy and Darell Hernaiz. They could also reach down to Triple-A Las Vegas for another infielder, such as Joey Meneses.
At this point, the A’s are uncertain about an IL stint for White. They’ll hold off for now, with Kotsay indicating after the game that White will miss at least the next two games to see how his back responds to rest and treatment.
“He’ll be off a couple of days, probably,” Kotsay said. “It definitely locked up on him. We’ll treat it for the next 48 to 72 hours and see if we can make some progress with him.”
Clarke, meanwhile, had a healthy first game back. He played five innings in center field and went 0-for-2 in two at-bats before getting pulled for pinch-hitter Carlos Cortes in the sixth.
Following Clarke’s departure, the A’s did mount a late comeback attempt in what was an 8-1 deficit through six innings, to the point that Jeff McNeil’s two-run homer in the ninth brought them within three runs and eventually prompted the Rangers to bring in closer Jacob Latz, who shut the door by recording the game’s final two outs.
Throughout that late comeback bid, however, the A’s did squander some golden opportunities. They loaded the bases with one out in the sixth, seventh and eighth innings, yet came away with just two total runs from those scenarios.
“The offense continued to go up and take good at-bats,” Kotsay said. “We had a lot of opportunities, just couldn’t get the big hit.”