Medical Maladies That Can Only Happen To The A’s and “House”

Michael Taylor’s bubble-gum injury is one medical mystery fit to appear on “House” Image Credit: FOX/Universal/David Shore No Copyright Intended

With Fox’s House off the air now after eight years of baffling medical mysteries, people only have the Oakland A’s to turn to for their fix of strange medical maladies. The latest baffling medical ailment to come out of the A’s trainer’s room is, brace yourself, a bubble-gum injury. Yes, bubble-gum is what caused A’s prospect Michael Taylor to cut his pinkie finger on his right hand.

Weird, huh?

Yes, this case of bubble-gum-itis is one suitable for the one and only Dr. Gregory House. But seriously, the A’s have had terrible luck in recent years when it comes to injuries. Taylor, who was regarded as a top prospect in baseball when he arrived in Oakland a few years ago, is definitely at a cross-road in his young career.

The A’s were hoping Taylor would emerge as a top power threat, but since his arrival, the power hasn’t come along.

Taylor has found himself stuck in the minors and this latest injury has set him back quite a bit in his major league pursuit. The A’s outfield is already very crowded and the chances of Taylor making the team were extremely slim at the start of spring training. Now?

Well, Taylor’s chances are not looking so good. Taylor cut his pinkie finger while attempting to throw away his gum, but his tall stature caused him to hit his hand on the ceiling light, resulting in two gashes. One of them has healed, according to a report, but the other one has yet to heal.

The 27 year old outfielder was supposed to be a top player in the A’s organization and while he’s performed quite well in the minors, there just doesn’t seem to be enough room for him at the major league level. He hasn’t gotten much of a chance to prove himself and this latest injury only prolongs his time in the minors.

The A’s will roll out with Yoenis Cespedes, Coco Crisp, and Josh Reddick in the outfield this year. It would appear that Taylor has virtually no shot at making the big league team when you consider his injury and the amount of depth Oakland has on its roster. The A’s have both Seth Smith and Chris Young they can plug into the outfield at any time.

So, Taylor may have to find an alternate route to the majors once his bizarre injury heals. The A’s have reportedly placed him at first-base in an effort to expand his versatility and value to the club.

With a .297/.377/.469 slash line in the minor leagues, Taylor has carved out a nice minor league career for himself, but surely the talented athlete wants more than a few honorable minor league stats. Hopefully Taylor finds a way to stay out doctor’s office and finds more time on the playing field.