The Oakland Athletics have placed outfielder Yoenis Cespedes on the 15-day disabled list, according to the team’s official Twitter feed. They called up Michael Taylor to replace him on the 25-man roster.
Cespedes suffered a hand injury while sliding during Friday night’s victory over the Detroit Tigers, reports Casey Pratt of CSN Bay Area. He also states that initial X-rays on Cespedes’ hand were negative. That wasn’t enough to avoid a DL stint, though.
The five-tool outfielder was off to a slow start. He had three home runs in 11 games, but was hitting just .200 with an on-base percentage below .300. The injury will only further delay his attempt to find a groove in his second major league season.
Cespedes had an impressive debut campaign in 2012. The 27-year-old rising star from Cuba blasted 23 home runs while also stealing 16 bases and posted a solid .356 on-base percentage. Oakland was hoping for him to build off that success.
Having to miss at least a couple weeks with a hand injury doesn’t completely derail those plans, but it’s definitely a setback. The most important thing is making sure he’s back to 100 percent before returning so he isn’t force to fight lingering issues all summer.
In his place, the Athletics turn to Taylor, who was on fire for the Triple-A Sacramento River Cats. In nine games, the 6’5” corner outfielder was hitting .410 with three home runs and 11 runs batted in. He had a hit in all but one game.
Like Cespedes, Taylor is 27, but has had far less success in the majors. He’s received 51 at-bats over the past two seasons, picking up just nine hits (.176) with one homer and 21 strikeouts. No word on what role the team expects him to fill upon his arrival.
It’s a key loss for the A’s, who are winners of nine straight after losing their first two. All they can do is hope other players, including Taylor, can pick up the slack until Cespedes is ready for action again.
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