Injuries & Moves: Bleday off IL; Kevin Smith optioned
LATEST NEWS
Sept. 26: OF JJ Bleday reinstated from IL; INF Kevin Smith optioned to Triple-A Las Vegas
Bleday, who had been on the injured list since Aug. 15 with a sprain in his left ACL, was reinstated off the injured list. He went 5-for-10 with three runs, two extra-base hits, four RBIs and three walks in three rehab games with Las Vegas.
Smith, who was recalled from Las Vegas on Sept. 5, went 7-for-41 in 15 games during his third stint with the A’s.
Sept. 22: RHP Zach Neal recalled from Triple-A Las Vegas; LHP Easton Lucas optioned
Neal returns for his third stint with the A's this season. The 34-year-old right-hander holds a 7.66 ERA in 10 games, including two starts, with Oakland.
Lucas posted an 8.10 ERA in six relief appearances with the A's.
INJURY UPDATES
10-day and 15-day IL
RHP Austin Pruitt (strained right forearm)
Expected return: TBD
Pruitt was scheduled to throw live batting practice on Sept. 15 for the first time since he was placed on the 15-day IL on Aug. 20 (retroactive to Aug. 17). There is no timetable for his return. (Last updated: Sept. 13)
RHP Angel Felipe (right elbow sprain)
Expected return: TBD
Felipe experienced discomfort in his elbow during his outing against the Cardinals on Aug. 14. The right-hander traveled back to Oakland for a further examination by team doctors. (Last updated: Aug. 15)
60-day IL
LHP Sean Newcomb (left knee sprain)
Expected return: 2024
Newcomb was transferred to the 60-day injured list on Sept. 20 after undergoing surgery to repair a torn left meniscus with Dr. Will Workman in San Ramon, Calif. The left-hander is expected to be ready for the start of 2024 Spring Training. (Last updated: Sept. 20)
RHP Freddy Tarnok (right calf strain)
Expected return: 2024
After feeling discomfort in the final inning of his outing against the Rangers on Aug. 9, Tarnok underwent an MRI exam that revealed a Grade 2 strain of his right calf. He was transferred from the 15-day injured list to the 60-day IL on Sept. 17, ending his season. (Last updated: Sept. 17)
LHP Richard Lovelady (left forearm strain)
Expected return: Out for season
After visiting Dr. Neal ElAttrache in Los Angeles, an examination of Lovelady's left forearm revealed a left flexor pronator strain, which is going to keep him out for the rest of the season.
Lovelady, who was placed on the 15-day IL retroactive to July 11, appeared in 27 games for the A's this season and posted a 4.63 ERA with 24 strikeouts and 10 walks in 23 1/3 innings. He was transferred to the 60-day IL on Aug. 23. (Last updated: Aug. 23)
RHP James Kaprielian (strained right shoulder)
Expected return: TBD
Kaprielian, who was originally placed on the injured list on June 27, is out for the remainder of the season after undergoing shoulder surgery on Aug. 2. The A's will provide further information on a timeline for Kaprielian to resume throwing at a later date. (Last updated: Aug. 21)
RHP Drew Rucinski (left hip and lower back issues)
Expected return: Out for season
Rucinski underwent surgery for his lumbar spine with Dr. Robert Watkins Jr. in Los Angeles on Aug. 8, and will miss the rest of this season. Signed to a one-year deal this offseason after four successful seasons in the KBO from 2019-22, the 34-year-old Rucinski began the 2023 season on the injured list and struggled through four starts with the A's once healthy enough to pitch, posting a 9.00 ERA in 18 innings.
"For a player who gets his opportunity to come back to pitch in the big leagues, I can’t imagine what he’s going through," A's manager Mark Kotsay said. "I know he’s disappointed and feels like he probably let the team down, but in no way did he do that. Physical injuries take a toll on you as an individual. They really wear on you mentally.
"I know it’s been wearing on him for a while. I don’t think he was probably ever right, physically. You commend the effort of just taking the ball and going out there as he did and trying to pitch through these injuries. It’s just unfortunate." (Last updated: Aug. 8)
RHP Zach Jackson (right flexor tendon strain)
Expected return: TBD
The A's announced that Jackson, who had begun a rehab assignment with Single-A Stockton on July 29 on his way back from a right flexor tendon strain, underwent surgery to treat acute appendicitis on July 31. The club noted that Jackson is "recovering and doing well," though there is no schedule for his possible return.
The right-hander is 2-1 with one save and a 2.50 ERA in 19 relief appearances. (Last updated: Aug. 1)
RHP Yacksel Ríos (Raynaud's Syndrome)
Expected return: Out for season
Ríos underwent a season-ending procedure on July 17 with Dr. Jason Lee at Stanford Hospital to repair an Axillary Branch Aneurysm in his right shoulder, which A's director of sports medicine and rehabilitation Brian Schulman described as a blood clot in one of the blood vessels in the back of his right shoulder that was breaking off into smaller clots and traveling down to his hand, causing his right middle and index finger to go completely numb and without sensation at times.
"This is similar to something [Yankees pitcher] David Cone had back in 1996," Schulman said of Ríos' procedure. "There have been other athletes who have gone through the same thing. The prognosis is good. They fixed the source of the problem. It just needs to heal.”
If his rehab progresses accordingly, Ríos is expected to resume playing catch later this year. (Last updated: July 18)