JUNE 26: Canha’s MRI revealed tendinitis in his left hip, Melvin told Rubin and other reporters.  Fortunately, nothing seems wrong with the part of Canha’s hip that was addressed by his 2016 surgery.

JUNE 25: The A’s announced that Canha has been placed on the 10-day injured list with a left hip strain. Infielder Vimael Machin is up from Triple-A Las Vegas in his place.

JUNE 24: Athletics outfielder Mark Canha left today’s 5-1 Oakland victory over the Rangers after two innings due to a left hip strain, manager Bob Melvin told Shayna Rubin of the San Jose Mercury News and other reporters.  Canha will receive an MRI to explore the problem, which Melvin indicated has been bothering the outfielder prior to today.  This isn’t the first hip issue of Canha’s career, as he underwent hip surgery back in 2016.

One of the sport’s more underrated players, Canha would represent a big loss to the Oakland lineup if he had to miss any time on the injured list.  Since the start of the 2018 season, only 22 qualified players in baseball have posted a higher wRC+ than Canha’s total of 133, as the outfielder has hit .258/.372/.466 with 59 home runs over the last four seasons.  Canha’s ability to play all three outfield positions (and some first base, in a pinch) has made him even more valuable to the A’s roster.

Canha has mostly played as a left fielder this year, though he saw a lot of everyday center field duties when Ramon Laureano was on the IL.  Laureano is now back but Stephen Piscotty was sidelined with a wrist sprain earlier this week, so the A’s will be rather shorthanded should Canha also require an IL placement.  Tony Kemp, Seth Brown, Chad Pinder, and Skye Bolt are all candidates for corner outfield playing time, with Kemp in particular having a very strong year as both a part-time outfielder and a platoon partner with Jed Lowrie at second base.

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