Athletics outfielder Josh Reddick left tonight’s game with what has been diagnosed as a fractured left thumb, MLB.com’s Jane Lee reports (Twitter links). That represents a major blow for an A’s club that has already been hit hard by injuries.
Reddick will need to be checked by a specialist before a specific course of action or timetable can be established. But the veteran says he says he expects at least a four-to-six week absence, per Connor Letourneau of the San Francisco Chronicle (via Twitter).
The 29-year-old has been a key contributor and important asset for the Oakland organization. He’s off to a blistering .322/.394/.466 start at the plate over 165 plate appearances. Even though fielding metrics aren’t crediting him with the same quality glovework he displayed for years out in right, Reddick is also a valuable contributor on the bases and is producing at career-best rates with the bat.
The loss of Reddick could tell in several ways, depending in large part on the length of his absence. Most immediately, he’ll obviously be missed in the lineup, which certainly doesn’t help the A’s chances of remaining in the hunt in the AL West. Beyond that, Reddick has frequently been mentioned as a possible trade target for teams needing help in the outfield. If he’s not able to return to health before the trade deadline, the A’s could lose an important chip if they do decide to sell. Of course, Oakland and Reddick have long been said to have mutual interest in an extension that would keep him off of the open market following this season. In some regards, the injury could actually make that more plausible, though last we checked talks did not seem to be taking place.
And, at an individual level, Reddick’s injury is poorly timed. The 29-year-old, to this point in the season, has done well to build up his stock heading into his first bite at free agency. MLBTR’s Tim Dierkes recently rated him fourth on his Free Agent Power Rankings, noting that his consistently solid production and the weak class of free agents could ultimately net Reddick a five-year deal. While that could still very well be the case if Reddick comes back strong, lingering effects from a notable hand injury could potentially have a negative impact on his earning power.
With Mark Canha shelved for the season and Sam Fuld on the 60-day DL, the Athletics are already shorthanded in the outfield. Coco Crisp and Khris Davis will presumably see most of the action in the corner spots, with Billy Burns playing up the middle, but the organization’s ability to provide rest and play matchups will be hampered. That alignment is also of significant consequence for Oakland due to the option status of Crisp. As MLBTR’s Steve Adams noted on Thursday morning, Crisp isn’t too far off pace to see his $13MM vesting option trigger, and increased playing time during Reddick’s absence figures to accelerate that pace. As far as replacement options for Reddick, both Andrew Lambo and Jake Smolinski are at Triple-A and already on the 40-man roster, though neither is setting the world on fire at the plate in the early going.
They could move Coghlan to RF, Valencia to 2B and bring up Matt Chapman. They also could bring up Ryon Healy, who is absolutely tearing through the minors. Stinks for Reddick though, he was on fire with the bat.
Destined for last in the West
You understand that last place in that div is still a .500 team and probably less than 5 games out of a WC right?
Huh? Last place in that division is currently at .405 win% and 3 teams are under .500%. Where are you getting this snarky comment from?
You understand that you’re wrong right ?
Seasons are not played in 6 weeks, its 6 months. Get out of here with that May winning %’s – the AL West is the strongest div top to bottom in baseball.
That’s just not true. The Angels are trash outside of trout and Calhoun, the Astros overachieved last year and oaklands mediocre at best. I’d say the al central and east are easily better
Man it’s funny how JustAnotherFan is changing his tune. When the A’s signed Alvarez I said they were destined for last in the West and they would be a .500 team at best to which he argued relentlessly about how unlucky they are and i’m dumb to think they would be last or close to it. Now he seems pretty hopeful to be a .500 team. I’ve never seen more of a trash commenter who thinks he’s right more than that guy.
Last in the west? The angels have that place all to themselves with the weak starting staff.
The Angels are better than what they are given credit for, trout, kaulhuon and when Pujols is being the real Pujols will win the enough games to stay around .500 most of the season and if they pick up a starter along the way they have a chance to get a playoff spot
Sucks for both Oakland and Josh, he should bounce back ok. Hopefully this gives them time for an extension.
Did he break it when he missed the ball in right
Sliding into 2cnd base, I believe.
Un=retire David Murphy