OAKLAND -- Bothered yet again by discomfort in his right hand, Matt Chapman will undergo an MRI while the A's hold their breath.
Chapman went through the same motions in Spring Training and didn't pick up a bat for several days after an MRI showed no structural damage. A cortisone shot accelerated his return, but Chapman, lifted in the seventh inning of Thursday's 7-3 loss to Houston, said afterward he has been playing through soreness ever since.
"I've been trying to just push through it all season, and just the last couple days is when I really started noticing it," Chapman said. "Probably not good of me to not say anything, but the first they knew about it was today, obviously, and I just tried to push through it as much as I could. I wanted to be out there for the team, but at the same time, you can't go out there and hurt the team.
"I think it's just kind of wear and tear, and it's been getting progressively worse, but it flared up on me today. My hand was in a lot of pain and just kind of swelling up. I'm getting an MRI, and then we'll go from there."
Chapman's February MRI revealed inflammation and bruising around the sesamoid bone. The pain, he revealed at the time, dates to November. Rest proved to be the best course of action -- and it remains unclear just how much of it will be required this time around.
Oakland's stud defensive third baseman, who uncharacteristically picked up two errors on Thursday, had been swinging a hot bat of late, entering the day with 14 hits in 36 at-bats (.389) this month before going 0-for-2.
"Unfortunately, it seems like it kind of happens with bad timing," Chapman said. "I hate to come out for the team, so it's been an upsetting day. I'm kind of frustrated right now."
Added A's manager Bob Melvin: "It's been bothering him progressively for the last few days. He's been swinging the bat well, he wants to stay in the lineup, but just got to a point today where a couple swings looked to me like it was bothering him."
Chad Pinder, who replaced Chapman Thursday, could see more time at third should the A's everyday man be sidelined for a period of time.