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Oakland A’s: Matt Chapman’s bad stretch gets worse

By David Hill

OAKLAND, CALIFORNIA - SEPTEMBER 05: Matt Chapman #26 of the Oakland Athletics throws to first base to throw out Jorge Mateo #3 of the San Diego Padres in the top of the second inning at RingCentral Coliseum on September 05, 2020 in Oakland, California. (Photo by Thearon W. Henderson/Getty Images)
OAKLAND, CALIFORNIA - SEPTEMBER 05: Matt Chapman #26 of the Oakland Athletics throws to first base to throw out Jorge Mateo #3 of the San Diego Padres in the top of the second inning at RingCentral Coliseum on September 05, 2020 in Oakland, California. (Photo by Thearon W. Henderson/Getty Images) /
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Matt Chapman is in the midst of a bad stretch, and it has only gotten worse for the Oakland A’s third baseman.

The past eight games have been disastrous for Matt Chapman. The Oakland A’s third baseman has just three hits in his past 27 plate appearances, striking ou 17 times. It has been even worse in his past 11 plate appearances, as he has struck out ten times in that span.

It got worse for Chapman on Sunday. He ranged to his left to snag a ground ball off the bat of Jurickson Profar in the fourth inning, making a spinning throw to get the out at first. However, Chapman was stretching his leg out before the start of the fifth, leading to Chad Pinder taking his place that inning.

After the game, it was announced that Chapman had a strained right hip, which led to his removal from the contest. This has been an issue that he has dealt with throughout the year, although it has been better of late.

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Chapman was set to undergo an MRI after the game as the A’s looked to determine the severity of the injury. Obviously, the hope is that he will not be out of the lineup for too long, as his Platinum Glove caliber defense is impossible to replace.

It is also possible that this nagging injury is a factor in his recent struggles. While Chapman is still third on the A’s in OPS+ and has been one of their leading power hitters, he has not been close to the same player of late. His sudden inability to make contact had been troubling, even before news of the injury came out.

Even if everything comes back fine from the MRI, it would make sense for Chapman to sit out for a couple of days. Given how many games the A’s will be playing over the rest of the year, it is best to keep Chapman from putting too much strain on that hip. And, giving him a few days to clear his head due to his offensive struggles would not hurt either.

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Matt Chapman needed to be pulled before the fifth inning of the Oakland A’s game on Sunday. Hopefully, his hip issues will prove to be minor, and he will be back in the lineup before long.