JJ Bleday was placed on the 10-day injured list Tuesday with a left knee sprain and Athletics manager Mark Kotsay said he was unsure whether the outfielder would be able to return this season.
Bleday was injured Sunday in Washington while making a play on a ball hit to left field. He went 1-for-4 in that game with two runs and a walk in what became a crushing 8-7 loss in which Oakland allowed six runs in the ninth inning.
Kotsay said Bleday, 25, suffered a strain to his anterior cruciate ligament and that team doctors recommended that he be shut down from all activity for the time being. Although no decision has been finalized, Kotsay said, “It’s definitely going to have to be discussed whether JJ can finish the year at any capacity. It’s an unfortunate injury.”
The A’s (33-86) have just 42 games remaining after Tuesday’s game with the St. Louis Cardinals, as they entered the night 38 games behind the Texas Rangers for first place in the American League West. For the second game of the series at Busch Stadium, the A’s had Tony Kemp playing left field, Lawrence Butler in center, and Esteury Ruiz in right.
Bleday, acquired in February by the A’s from the Miami Marlins in exchange for reliever AJ Puk, was hitting .203 with 10 home runs and a .687 OPS in 77 games with Oakland this year. He began the year in Triple-A where he hit .316 with seven home runs and a 1.071 OPS in 25 games played.
Felipe injured: The A’s have sent Ángel Felipe back to Oakland for further evaluation after the right-handed reliever complained of discomfort in his elbow following his appearance in Monday’s game.
Kotsay said Felipe visited with team trainers Monday night saying that his elbow “didn’t feel normal.” An MRI was performed and the decision was made to return Felipe, who was placed on the IL with a right elbow sprain, to Oakland for assessment.
Felipe entered Monday’s game in the seventh inning with the A’s holding a two-run lead, but he walked three batters before he was replaced by Francisco Pérez. Felipe was charged with three earned runs in what became a 7-5 A’s loss.
Felipe has a 4.20 ERA with 19 strikeouts and 13 walks in 14 games for Oakland spanning 15.0 innings pitched. He was originally claimed off waivers from San Diego on June 21 and was recalled from Las Vegas on July 7.
Notable: The A’s reinstated catcher Carlos Pérez from the 10-day injured list and recalled right-handed pitcher Tayler Scott from Triple-A Las Vegas.
Pérez returns to the active roster after missing 34 games with a fractured left thumb. Prior to being placed on the IL on July 2, he was hitting .232 with five home runs and 17 RBI in 47 games for the A’s. In four rehab games with Las Vegas, he went 5-for-13 (.385) with a 1.005 OPS and no strikeouts. Pérez was recently named the A’s winner of the Heart & Hustle Award.
Scott returns to the A’s for his second stint with the club after being optioned to Las Vegas on Aug. 5. Originally claimed off waivers from Boston on July 19, he appeared in six games for Oakland, posting a 5.06 ERA in 5.1 innings. In four appearances for the Aviators, he allowed just one run in 4.0 innings pitched for a 2.25 ERA.