Kuzul

The race in the American League West is just tight enough to possibly be decided by one man.

Yu Darvish, come on down.

The Texas Rangers trail the Seattle Mariners by only a game-and-a-half, but they could use some help. They were just swept in a three-game series by the Oakland Athletics, dropping their record to 8-9 in May. Among the things not helping is their starting rotation hitting the skids in the past two weeks.

This is where Darvish comes in. Or, where he will be coming in.

Sidelined since March 2015 to recover from Tommy John surgery, Darvish is now on a comeback trail with few miles left on it. The 29-year-old right-hander has yet to hit a snag in four minor league rehab starts (via MiLB.com):

For what it’s worth, that’s a 1.29 ERA and more than a strikeout per inning, as well as an opponents’ batting average of just .125. The “for what it’s worth” part bears repeating, but that’s still good!

Hence the simple goal the Japan native expressed for the rest of his rehab. As he put it through an interpreter after his last start, per the Associated Press (via ESPN.com): “I feel pretty confident right now, so just keep going.”

Darvish‘s next rehab outing is scheduled for Sunday. If that also goes well, he may be able to fulfill the kinda-sorta-official expectation that he’ll rejoin the Rangers rotation before the end of the month.

The Rangers’ hope, meanwhile, is surely that Darvish will to return to his pre-surgery form as one of the best pitchers in baseball.

Though Darvish only surpassed 30 starts in 2013, he was good enough to post a 3.27 ERA in the 545.1 innings in which he was healthy between 2012 and 2014. He was an All-Star three times and a top-10 American League Cy Young finisher twice. He also was rated as one of baseball’s top 11 pitchers by Baseball-Reference.com‘s version of wins above replacement.

In reality, he was at least a top-11 pitcher. FanGraphs‘ WAR placed Darvish within baseball’s top nine pitchers for those three seasons. The biggest reason for that was his strikeout rate. Darvish cut down 11.2 batters per nine innings, the highest rate of any qualified pitcher.

How he did that is fodder for an extended lesson in Pitchology, a recently (as in, literally just now) devised study of pitches. Brooks Baseball has tracked at least eight different pitches thrown by Darvish in his major league career. Five of those went into one of the best GIFs in the history of ever.

But like virtually every other pitcher not named R.A. Dickey or Steven Wright, Darvish works off the fastball. He used a four-seamer and sinker that sat in the 92-93 mph range and got as high as the mid-90s. According to the man himself, that velocity hasn’t gone anywhere.

“I was nice and easy and throwing 94-95,” Darvish said after his third rehab start, according to T.R. Sullivan of MLB.com. “I’m going to show them 97-98, but most of the time you’re going to see 94-95.”

The word is also good concerning Darvish‘s most reliable moneymaker: his slider. As Double-A Frisco manager Joe Mikulik told Will Korn of MLB.com, it was “very sharp” in his most recent start.

If Darvish‘s slider is indeed at full strength, baseball is about to reclaim one of its deadliest weapons. That slider held hitters to a .156 average and a .235 slugging percentage between 2012 and 2014, and it tended to be the star of the show whenever he had a great outing. Like so:

What Darvish may not have upon his return is a good idea of where the ball is going.

With a career rate of 3.6 walks per nine innings, his control wasn’t great to begin with. And now, his total of five walks in 14.0 innings against minor league hitters isn’t encouraging. He’s a candidate to add his name to a list of Tommy John survivors—one that even includes Adam Wainwright—who have struggled to find their control again.

Whether Darvish could get away with shoddy control would come down to his margin for error. He had a big one when he was striking out more than 11 batters per nine innings. Walks are going to be more likely to hurt him if he comes back and falls well short of that level of bat-missing mastery. Under those circumstances, he wouldn’t be much of a shot in the arm to the Rangers rotation.

However, the positive buzz around Darvish‘s key pitches bodes well. So do the projections for his return at FanGraphs and Baseball Prospectus. The former projects him to strike out roughly 10 batters per nine innings. The latter puts the number closer to 11. 

A pitcher like that would be helpful for any starting staff, but there aren’t many that could use one more than the Rangers rotation. Though it boasts a solid 3.61 ERA, its collective rate of 6.7 strikeouts per nine innings is one of the worst in the majors. Outside of Cole Hamels, the Rangers don’t have another starter who specializes in strikeouts.

Darvish returning and living up to expectations would therefore be exactly the shot in the arm the rotation needs. Getting 100 or so innings out of him could easily be worth a couple of extra wins. 

Maybe that doesn’t sound like much. But to win the AL West, it could be good enough.

Comparing Seattle’s plus-38 run differential to Texas’ minus-one mark highlights the former as the better team, but the Mariners have their cracks. An offense that has to hit at Safeco Field may not be able to sustain such an impressive power performance. And if Felix Hernandez crumbles under the weight of his diminished stuff, the Mariners rotation won’t have a one-two punch as good as Hamels and Darvish.

It’s reasonably certain that neither the Rangers nor the Mariners will run away with the AL West. If it does indeed stay close, all eyes, and all of the pressure, will be on Darvish.

Stats courtesy of Baseball-Reference.com and FanGraphs unless otherwise noted/linked.

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Oakland Athletics outfielder Josh Reddick suffered a fractured thumb during his team’s 4-1 loss to the New York Yankees on Thursday. He’s been placed on the disabled list, and it’s unclear when he will return.

Continue for updates.

Reddick Placed on 15-Day DL

Friday, May 20

The Athletics announced they recalled Jake Smolinski from Triple-A to take Reddick’s spot on the active roster.

Latest on Reddick’s Recovery Timeline

Thursday, May 19

Jane Lee of MLB.com reported the Athletics will need to wait for the outfielder to see a hand specialist before they determine how long he will be out. However, she noted that “Reddick believes he’ll be out at least four to six weeks.”

Reddick drilled his fifth home run of the season before exiting the game. He scored Oakland’s only run in a lackluster offensive effort. The outfielder hit 20 long balls in 2015 and adds power to the middle of the Athletics lineup.

Reddick Provides Athletics With Middle-of-the-Lineup Power

Losing Reddick for the amount of time he expects to be out for would be a blow because he is off to a quick start for Oakland.

Entering play Thursday, he was hitting .315 with an impressive OPS of .830. Both of those numbers would mark career bests if they hold, as he has never posted a batting average better than .280 or an OPS better than .784.

The Athletics will likely turn to Chris Coghlan in right field while Reddick is out. Coghlan is a versatile defender who can play the corner outfield spots or second base, but Tyler Ladendorf can occupy second in this scenario.

Coghlan has struggled with his bat in the early going and was hitting a mere .168 as of Thursday. However, he has flashed some power with five home runs and is coming off a solid year for the Chicago Cubs in 2015, when he hit 16 home runs and tallied 41 RBI. He was responsible for a career-best 1.9 offensive WAR in 2015, per ESPN.com.

The Athletics will need him to carry the load until Reddick returns as they chase the Seattle Mariners and Texas Rangers in the American League West.

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Two-time Cy Young Award winner Tim Lincecum has signed with the Los Angeles Angels, as the team announced, per Bill Shaikin of the Los Angeles Times.

Jon Heyman of MLB Network reported Thursday it will be a $2.5 million deal with another $1.7 million in incentives.

“To sign a contract with the Angels meant the world to me,” Lincecum said, per Shaikin.

“Success will be being healthy at the end of this season, and seeing where I am after that,” Lincecum added, per Shaikin.

Lincecum, 31, went 7-4 with a 4.13 ERA, 1.48 WHIP and 60 strikeouts in 15 starts and 76.1 innings pitched in 2015 for the San Francisco Giants. 

The former star was one of the finest pitchers in all of baseball from 2008 to 2011 and was a key contributor to the team’s three World Series titles since 2010. But in recent years he’s been mediocre, a far cry from the dominant pitcher he had been.

His 2015 season was cut short after he required surgery on his left hip, but despite that setback, Lincecum doesn’t plan on calling it quits anytime soon.

“To be honest, I feel like I could pitch for a good five or six more years until I can’t anymore at this point,” he told Jesse Sanchez of MLB.com in early May. “I’m nowhere near that point.”

Angels general manager Billy Eppler said Lincecum should need 20 to 30 days in the minor leagues and will throw a simulated game on Monday, per Shaikin.

“He’ll tell us when he’s ready,” Eppler added, per Shaikin. “He’s earned that.”

A change of scenery might be just the thing for Lincecum, though at this point in his career, it seems unlikely he’ll ever be a Cy Young candidate again. Still, he gives the Angels a veteran presence on the mound and a pitcher capable of either giving a team decent innings at the back end of the rotation or sliding into the bullpen as a long reliever. 

Add in his extensive postseason experience, and Lincecum’s signing should bolster the Angels’ pitching staff. 

Los Angeles currently sits 18-22 and has had trouble finding consistency in its starting rotation. The team currently is tied for 22nd in quality starts (16) and ranks below league average in ERA, WHIP and batting average against. 

The team lost Andrew Heaney to season-ending surgery after one start, and Garrett Richards went down with a UCL tear earlier this month. If Lincecum can even be an average MLB starter, he’s going to be a huge boost to a staff in desperate need of help.

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On today’s episode of “Things That Were Meant to Be,” we have the Los Angeles Angels and Tim Lincecum.

A deal between the Angels and the two-time Cy Young Award winner had been in the air for a few days and is now complete. As reported by MLB Network’s Jon Heyman, Lincecum is heading to Anaheim on a modest contract:

That’s the prorated calculation of Lincecum’s salary. With the 2016 season about a quarter of the way done, his real pay is more like $2 million plus whatever incentives he makes.

At any rate, the attraction is obvious. For Lincecum, this deal is a lifeline to an extended major league career. For the Angels, it’s a roll of the dice they had every reason to make.

When the 31-year-old right-hander held a showcase for teams in early May, Jesse Sanchez of MLB.com reported there were representatives for more than 20 teams in attendance. Any one of them could have signed the former San Francisco Giant, who’s coming off season-ending hip surgery. That includes the Giants themselves, whose starting rotation has been weighed down by Jake Peavy and Matt Cain.

But nobody really needed to take a flier on Lincecum like the Angels did. As Jeff Sullivan put it at FanGraphs: “The Angels are obvious because they’re out west, because their rotation sucks, and because they’re somewhere around the fringes of the race.”

Pretty much. The Angels’ 18-22 record puts them in fourth place in the AL West, but only five games out of first and four games away from a wild-card spot. Their rotation has a 4.61 ERA that’s not good, but which almost manages to sound pleasant in light of other circumstances.

Namely, injuries. Garrett Richards and Andrew Heaney might be done for the year. C.J. Wilson is still working his way back from a bad shoulder. Tyler Skaggs is on the comeback trail from Tommy John surgery, but it’s turned into a bumpy ride.

If the Angels are really lucky, Lincecum will step in and regain the form that made him one of baseball’s top pitchers between 2008 and 2011. Their best hope, though, is not getting the Lincecum who was one of baseball’s worst pitchers between 2012 and 2015.

All the Angels have to go off of for now is what Lincecum demonstrated in his showcase. And from that, there’s only so much to take away.

It’s no secret that velocity was at the heart of Lincecum’s downfall. After sitting in the low to mid-90s in his four-year stretch of dominance, his fastball velocity tumbled like so:

• 2012: 90.4 mph
• 2013: 90.2 mph
• 2014: 89.6 mph
• 2015: 87.2 mph

The effectiveness of Lincecum’s fastball suffered accordingly. According to Baseball Savant, hitters hit .262 with a .379 slugging percentage against his heat between 2008 and 2011. They hit .284 with a .442 slugging percentage against it between 2012 and 2015.

Knowing this, it would have been great to see him light up the radar gun at his showcase. Instead, Sanchez reported that Lincecum sat 90-91 in his first throwing session and 89-90 in the second.

Either velocity range is an improvement over where Lincecum was last season, but that would be more encouraging if 2015 were the only bad year he was trying to put behind him. The Angels must therefore hope against hope that the velocity he showcased was only a starting point. With more reps, perhaps it can climb to where it was in his heyday.

What’s more likely is that Lincecum will once again be forced to try to downplay his diminished velocity with good command. It so happens that’s where the man himself was really encouraged by his showcase.

“I’m happy. I was able to throw strikes on my pitches, stay within myself. I commanded all of my pitches,” Lincecum said. “I only had a couple misses, and they weren’t [over the] middle of the plate, so that’s encouraging for me.”

Good command could cure as many of Lincecum’s ills as good fastball velocity. At worst, it could prevent him from walking nearly four batters per nine innings like he did between 2012 and 2015. At best, it could erase the many mistake pitches that contributed to him averaging a home run per game in that span.

But for now, this is not something to be taken for granted. Lincecum didn’t specialize in pounding the strike zone between 2012 and 2015. He specialized even less in hitting spots. It’ll take more than a showcase for him to prove that he’s ready to change these ways.

To make a long story short, “Who knows?” is the best answer for what Lincecum might do for the Angels. There’s a chance they’ll get a veteran pitcher who’s found some velocity and learned to throw strikes. It’s more likely, though, that they’ll get something similar to his 2012-2015 self. 

What’s true regardless, however, is that the man himself could have chosen much worse teams and much worse places to silence all of the smarmy skeptics [winks] out there. Breaking into the Angels rotation will not require a long, uphill climb. And once Lincecum gets there, he’ll have two distinct advantages.

Angel Stadium of Anaheim is one of the most pitcher-friendly ballparks in the American League, if not the friendliest. Though it’s still somewhat early to be looking at such things, the Angels defense began Thursday ranked fourth in defensive runs saved. And as scary as it may sound that Lincecum is about to take on American League lineups, AL offenses aren’t actually performing better than NL offenses.

If Lincecum can make the most of his comeback attempt, he’ll be a wanted man on the winter free-agent market. Considering that said market is perilously short on talented arms, he could even be a very wanted man.

He has a lot to prove before he gets to that point. But for now, he’s at least taken care of the first step of getting a chance to do so.

Stats courtesy of Baseball-Reference.com and FanGraphs unless otherwise noted/linked.

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Under normal circumstances, a struggling pitcher with an ERA north of 5.00 wouldn’t inspire feverish trade speculation.

But the Oakland Athletics‘ Sonny Gray isn’t a normal struggling pitcher. And these aren’t normal circumstances. 

Stephen Strasburg signed a seven-year extension with the Washington Nationals on May 10. Just like that, the only legitimate ace in next season’s shallow free-agent pool and one of the biggest possible trade-deadline prizes disappeared.

The demand for pitching, however, isn’t going anywhere. Toss a rosin bag—particularly in the wide-open American League—and you’ll hit a flawed contender with holes in its rotation.

Enter Gray and his 5.84 ERA.

That’s an ugly number, and it hasn’t been a pretty stretch for the Oakland right-hander. In his last four starts, he’s 0-3 with a 10.31 ERA, 14 strikeouts and nine walks in 18.1 innings. 

He’s also 26 years old, owns a 3.13 career ERA, eclipsed 200 innings each of the last two seasons and finished third in American League Cy Young Award balloting in 2015. He’s under team control through the 2019 season. And he opened 2016 by going 3-1 with a 2.73 ERA and 24 strikeouts in 26.1 innings. 

If you’re looking at recent results, there’s risk. If you focus on track record and body of work, it’s mostly reward.

Again, the pitching cupboards are practically bare. Among next winter’s free agents, second-tier talents such as the San Diego Padres‘ Andrew Cashner and New York Yankees‘ Ivan Nova could incite bidding wars.

And with the second wild-card slot keeping so many clubs on the fringe of the playoff picture, the list of true sellers could be exceedingly short come July.

Will the A’s be one of them? And if so, will they unload Gray?

At 19-22, Oakland sits four games out in the AL West entering play Thursday. A hot streak in the next few weeks might change the calculus, but right now, the A’s appear headed for a patented midseason sell-off.

There are other chips on the roster, including impending free-agent outfielder Josh Reddick. Gray, however, would be the big fish.

Here’s how ESPN.com’s Buster Olney assessed the situation in late April:

Whether the Athletics actually seriously consider trading Gray is something more likely to be determined in July than in April or May…

But history tells us general manager Billy Beane is always open to discussing a deal, especially when he perceives the value of a player to be nearing its apex, and Gray’s position in the market could be unique over the next 14 weeks. Considering the rest of the pitching landscape, Gray could be Mount Everest sitting in the middle of Death Valley.

That was before the Strasburg extension. Now, Beane and Oakland have even more leverage. They can toy with prospect-rich contenders and crank the price into the stratosphere.

The Boston Red Sox have a deep farm system and questions in the rotation. Same goes for the Los Angeles Dodgers. The St. Louis Cardinals could use another arm to support their potent offense, as could the Baltimore Orioles.

The Houston Astros‘ starting pitching is in disarray. The defending champion Kansas City Royals went out and got Johnny Cueto at the deadline last year and could go ace shopping again.

Really, it’d be easier to list the teams that wouldn’t at least put loafer to Goodyear if Gray is made available.

Yes, his early hiccups and crooked ERA dampen his value. A few strong starts, however, could reverse that in a hurry.

Gray expressed optimism after his most recent outing May 15, when he surrendered three home runs but lasted 5.2 innings in a 7-6 victory over the Tampa Bay Rays and made an in-game adjustment that helped him keep the ball down, per MLB.com’s Jane Lee.

“I’ve constantly been leaving the ball up, and you can tell,” Gray said, per Lee. “It was literally just a visual thing to get the ball back down, and you could tell there, when it’s back down, it’s got great life on it, and you start to see the swing and misses.”

Catcher Stephen Vogt concurred.

“He got his movement down in the zone back,” Vogt said, per Lee. “And I think for him he felt it and was excited when he came out of the game.”

Now, imagine if Gray builds on that and starts to look like this guy:

The Athletics, as Olney pointed out, don’t have to move him now. They could wait until the offseason, when teams will be scrapping over free-agent bones. Or they could hold him until next summer.

Beane, however, is always ready to pick up the phone. As the postseason races heat up, his line will start ringing—and a lot of the calls will be about Gray.

The risk is real. But, particularly in these pitching-starved times, so is the reward.

All statistics current as of May 18 and courtesy of Baseball-Reference.com unless otherwise noted.

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Los Angeles Angels catcher Geovany Soto will miss the next four to six weeks after suffering a torn right meniscus.

Continue for updates.

Soto to DL, Will Have Surgery

Wednesday, May 18 

Alden Gonzalez of MLB.com reported Soto will undergo surgery to correct the tear. It’s unclear whether doctors will remove the torn part of Soto’s meniscus or attempt to repair it.

Soto, 33, previously tore the same meniscus in 2014 while playing with the Texas Rangers. He later suffered an ankle injury during that season and was limited to just 24 games.

The 11-year veteran played all nine innings of Tuesday’s 5-1 loss to the Los Angeles Dodgers. He struck out twice in his three at-bats and grounded out to the pitcher in his other plate appearance, so he showed no sign of injury. Carlos Perez being slotted into the starting lineup for Wednesday was initially seen as a regular day off for Soto in the Angels platoon.

Soto is hitting .283/.338/.483 with three home runs and seven RBI through 20 games. He was on pace for his best hitting season since 2010 when he was with the Chicago Cubs.

Perez will likely take over everyday duties with Soto out. The 25-year-old is hitting just .176/.238/.230 in his second full MLB season, but he’s a solid defensive player. The Angels should look to call up another catcher to replace Perez on the days when he needs rest. 

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After blowing his fourth save of the season on Tuesday by giving up a walk-off grand slam to the Oakland Athletics‘ Khris Davis, Shawn Tolleson has been removed from the closer’s role with the Texas Rangers.   

Per Jeff Wilson of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram, upon being informed of the decision, Tolleson said, “It wasn’t anything that surprised me.” Rangers manager Jeff Banister said the team is “gonna wrap our arms around Tolly and figure out what’s going on,” per Jared Sandler of 105.3 The Fan. 

Per Wilson, the Rangers will go with Sam Dyson as their new closer. The right-hander hasn’t been overpowering this year with 13 strikeouts and six walks in 19 innings, but he’s been steady with a 1.89 ERA. 

Tolleson has been awful so far in 2016. The right-hander has a 9.20 ERA with 23 hits, five home runs allowed, 11 strikeouts and five walks in 14.2 innings. 

The 28-year-old Tolleson was tied for the American League lead with 11 saves at the time of his demotion despite those horrid numbers, which says all anyone needs to know about the validity of saves as a statistic of any value. 

The straw that ultimately broke Tolleson’s back as the Rangers closer was an 8-5 loss against the Athletics on Tuesday in which he allowed two hits and one walk before Davis’ blast to end the game.

Per Gerry Fraley of the Dallas Morning News, Tolleson was upfront about his sequencing during the at-bat against Davis and why he didn’t try to change speeds:

There’s been no decline in Tolleson’s stuff in terms of velocity. All of his pitches have actually ticked up this season, including the fastball at a career-best 93.1 mph, per FanGraphs. He’s just not locating anything and, by his own admission, not trusting his off-speed stuff, allowing hitters to sit on the heater.

Tolleson had been money for the Rangers with a 2.88 ERA the past two seasons and career-high 35 saves in 2015. There’s no reason to think he can’t regain the closer’s job, but with a team that’s good enough to make a playoff run, he’s going to have to work things out in low-pressure situations. 

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Houston Astros outfielder Carlos Gomez suffered a rib injury on May 13, and he was placed on the disabled list on May 17. It’s unclear when he’ll return to the field. 

Continue for updates.

Gomez Comments on Injury

Tuesday, May 17

Gomez told reporters he had been hoping to avoid a stint on the DL after hurting his ribs on Friday. 

Gomez Hoping to Find Swing After Slow Start 

Gomez, 30, had a rough start to the 2016 season, as he hit under .200 for much of April. He’s now batting .182 with no home runs and five RBI in 34 games. Those struggles mirrored that of the Astros in general, as the club was dreadful to open the season.

Houston acquired Gomez last season before the trade deadline, and he helped lead the Astros to the playoffs, though he hit just .242 with four home runs and 13 RBI in 41 contests. His 12 total home runs between the Milwaukee Brewers and Astros were his fewest since 2011, though he did play in just 115 games last year.

He was better in the postseason, ripping off two home runs and three RBI in six October games. 

Gomez, one of the game’s more colorful players, remains one of the most important players in Houston’s lineup alongside burgeoning superstar Carlos Correa, established star Jose Altuve and a solid supporting cast that includes Colby Rasmus, George Springer and Luis Valbuena. 

The Astros shouldn’t lose too much production with Gomez out of action, as Preston Tucker—who often serves as the team’s designated hitter—will likely slide into the outfield. But getting Gomez back in the lineup as quickly as possible—and getting him hot down the stretch—will be crucial for the team as it tries to return to the postseason again this year.

You can follow Timothy Rapp on Twitter.

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Los Angeles Angels pitcher Garrett Richards will receive treatment on his injured right elbow in an attempt to avoid Tommy John surgery.

General manager Billy Eppler announced the news Monday, adding that Richards is receiving injections to help rehab the elbow, per Jeff Fletcher of the Orange County Register:

Fletcher also reported that Richards will be re-evaluated in six weeks.

Tommy John surgery would end Richards’ season and put him in jeopardy for the 2017 campaign. The Los Angeles Times‘ Bill Shaikin is skeptical that Richards will be back in the rotation before late in the summer:

Yahoo Sports’ Jeff Passan noted that even if Richards is forced to get surgery, he would still have a chance to prove his worth before his contract expires:

Richards was off to a solid start this season. Although he was 1-3 after six starts, he was sporting a 2.34 ERA while averaging 8.83 strikeouts per nine innings.

The Angels are already bringing in help to try to make up for Richards’ production.

The team agreed to a deal with Tim Lincecum on Monday, according to ESPN’s Jim Bowden. Though Lincecum has struggled in his last few seasons, he represents a low-risk option for a team that has a large hole in its pitching staff.

The team sits at 16-21, and if it fails to get into playoff contention by the All-Star break, it may be wise to shut down Richards for the season to avoid any further damage to his elbow.

All statistics courtesy of ESPN.com.

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Oakland Athletics first baseman Mark Canha was diagnosed with a hip impingement Friday, three days after the team placed him on the disabled list because of hip and back issues, according to MLB.com’s Jane Lee.

Continue for updates.

Canha Could Miss Rest of Season

Friday, May 13

Lee reported that Canha could face season-ending surgery as a result of his injury, although there is no labral damage to his hip. Canha also suffered a mild back strain.

Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle added that Canha may not have many options aside from surgery:

The 27-year-old has struggled this season after breaking out in 2015 as a rookie. He is batting .122 with three home runs and six RBI in 16 games played.

Canha racked up 16 homers and 70 RBI last year while appearing in 124 games. 

Canha’s troubles are a microcosm of Oakland’s season. The team is 15-21 and was in the midst of a five-game losing streak before Friday’s 6-3 win over the Tampa Bay Rays.

Losing another bat for the long haul would further debilitate a flawed lineup. Outside of Josh Reddick, who is hitting .318 with four home runs and 17 RBI, Jed Lowrie is the only other player on the team batting over .300, and the Athletics have scored the ninth-fewest runs in MLB this season.

According to SB Nation’s Jeremy F. Koo, utility infielder Tyler Ladendorf is expected to help replace Canha.

Ladendorf has largely been used as a defensive substitute and a pinch runner during his brief MLB experiences. He has appeared in 18 career games with an average of .190, so the 28-year-old should not be expected to make up for the offense Canha can provide. 

Hopefully, Canha can recover with some injections and come back later this year. With the way the Athletics’ season seems to be heading, though, it would be wise not to force him onto the field if there is a chance he could worsen the injury.

All statistics are courtesy of ESPN.com.

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