Oakland Athletics: 5 Reasons to be Optimistic

4. Key players set to make their return from the disabled list.

August 22, 2014; Oakland, CA, USA; Oakland Athletics relief pitcher

(62) celebrates after the game against the Los Angeles Angels at O.co Coliseum. The Athletics defeated the Angels 5-3. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports

No need to fear, the reinforcements are here… well, almost. Coco Crisp: The 35-year old veteran is recovering from right elbow surgery and plans to join the Athletics sometime during their upcoming 10-game road trip. Crisp is set to make a rehab appearance with the Stockton Ports when they return to San Joaquin County this weekend. Sean Doolittle: According to several reports from Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle, the A’s All-Star closer has made significant strides since being placed on the disabled list in January due to a shoulder injury. Just this past week Doolittle threw from flat ground at a distance of 120 feet on April 24, mixing in all of his pitches without feeling any discomfort. What began as 15 pitches gradually progressed to 21 — as he threw from the mound this past Tuesday. Toss in a few bullpen sessions and it seems likely that Doolittle will return to the 25-man roster sometime in June. Jarrod Parker: Parker has been sidelined since undergoing Tommy John surgery for the second time in his major league career. Parker has defied the odds after making two appearances for Oakland’s Single-A Stockton affiliate both in Bakersfield. Later in the week he’s expected to make one, if not two starts for Triple-A Nashville before a decision is made. An optimistic timetable for Parker’s return would be in late-May or early-June. Ben Zobrist: The A’s utility man hit the shelf on April 25 with a torn left meniscus strain. After successfully having surgery on Tuesday, Zobrist is expected to be out 4-6 weeks — however it is possible that he could return in late-May or early-June.

Next: A real life first baseman?