Slumping Reddick gets 'mental day' off

MINNEAPOLIS -- A slumping Josh Reddick was out of the lineup for the second time in four games Thursday, with manager Bob Melvin wanting to give his outfielder a mental day off.

"Giving him a break," Melvin said, "and some time to sit back and think a little bit."

At the plate, Reddick may be overthinking.

Oakland's right fielder batted .333 in 19 spring games, looking more like himself after hitting .226 in a forgettable 2013 season, when he was hampered by a right wrist injury. But he's just 3-for-29 (.103) through his first seven games of the regular season, striking out at least twice in five of them, including four times Wednesday.

"After a great spring, he's pretty disappointed in the way he's going right now," Melvin said. "For me, more than anything, he has to get out of his own way. I think he's got some negative thoughts. We've talked about it. Try to get back to thinking positively and drawing from his positive experiences, and there have been a lot of those."

Melvin said Reddick appears to be struggling to recognize pitches, a common issue for slumping players. But his swing, he noted, looks good.

"I don't know how he's missing some of them," Melvin said. "It's not like he's lunging. It's not like he's having to catch up with his hands. He looks pretty balanced at the plate.

"He's pretty accountable, too. He wants to help his team."

Melvin opted to put Brandon Moss in right field for the day, with Sam Fuld already in center for the injured Coco Crisp. But he expects Reddick to be back in the lineup for Friday's series opener in Seattle.

Crisp hit in the cage Thursday, four days after receiving a cortisone shot in his inflamed left wrist, but his status for Friday's game is still up in the air. Either way, the A's are expected to activate another outfielder in Craig Gentry, who joined the team in Minnesota on Thursday.

When that move is officially made, the A's will have to decide whether to designate Fuld or Daric Barton for assignment, or potentially even option Reddick to Triple-A to let him work through his issues there.

Melvin wouldn't budge when asked after Thursday's game if any decisions had been made.