Oakland Athletics: Injuries in the Outfield

Spring Training is only a week under way but the Oakland Athletics have a growing injury list, with names like Josh Reddick and Coco Crisp headlining it. The two outfielders, who were expected to begin the year on the corners, Reddick in right and Crisp in left, have been troubled by injuries in the past and are the last names you want to see having to rehab.

Reddick has shown his capabilities in the outfield, with a wide range of coverage as well as his cannon and knack of throwing runners out on the base paths, but since playing in 156 games in 2012, Red has not been able to remain healthy. He’s had a multitude of injuries, ranging from his wrist and back to his knee and ankle, that have kept him off the field the past two years. Reddick played in 114 games in 2013 and 109 in 2014.

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The all-out effort from Reddick is what fans love about him, but it’s that same effort that causes him to miss playing time. Obviously you don’t want him toning it down, you just have to accept that the injuries come with the hustle.

While Reddick is expected to miss some regular season time with his latest injury, a right oblique strain, Crisp’s injury, a lower triceps strain, as of now is expected to be a day-to-day injury until the A’s outfielder can get more treatment.

Crisp has been labeled injury-prone for most of his career and now that he’s 35-years-old, his age isn’t going to be much help for him. In his last four seasons with the A’s, Crisp has averaged 128 games per year while missing time for a wide range of injuries as well.

The A’s had just decided to move Crisp to left field to keep him healthy days prior to his latest injury, freeing up the center field position for either Sam Fuld or Craig Gentry.