OAKLAND -- The A's placed right-hander Paul Blackburn on the disabled list Friday in a series of moves that also included the promotions of reliever Michael Brady and infielder/outfielder Mark Canha.
Blackburn, who was drilled by a comebacker during his Tuesday start in Baltimore, is still experiencing swelling in his right hand/wrist and lacking range of motion in the area. Right-hander Chris Smith will start in his place in Anaheim on Tuesday.
Blackburn, who is 3-1 with a 3.22 ERA in 10 starts, is eligible to return Sept. 2.
"Just not responding well enough for him to throw a bullpen and then make his start," A's manager Bob Melvin said. "The prudent thing to do is put him on the DL and hopefully he recovers in time to make his start soon thereafter, when he would come off."
Blackburn's injury allowed Brady to return to the big league club just two days after being optioned to Triple-A Nashville. This will mark his fourth stint with the A's this season.
Canha, meanwhile, also joins Oakland for a fourth time, and with an opportunity to pick up more playing time in center field. With Rajai Davis out of the mix, after being dealt to Boston on Wednesday, Melvin said both Canha and Chad Pinder will see time at the position against left-handers, while Boog Powell continues to handle the job against right-handers.
Consider it a tryout period for all involved, with the A's in the process of piecing together an outfield for 2018. Dustin Fowler, acquired in the high-profile Sonny Gray deal, will also enter this group, after rehabbing his surgically repaired right knee.
"With where we are right now, we're probably going to look at a lot of different guys, and going into September we'll have some other guys here too," Melvin said.
"The next few weeks lead to the potential for the future. We really didn't know what to expect out of Boog, and he's exceeded whatever expectations there were, so to this point you can't help but think about next year and him in center field for us."