Bob Stanton-USA TODAY Sports
Oakland Athletics center fielder Coco Crisp is expected to return to the lineup sometime this week. He could suit up as early as Wednesday, which is the day he is eligible to come off the 15-day disabled list. However, there are no guarantees on an exact date for when the Athletics could see him in center field.
The 33-year-old suffered a strained left hamstring in a 10-8 victory over the Los Angeles Angels on April 29. Crisp pulled his hamstring while he attempted to beat out a throw to first base in the 13th inning. It was an unfortunate injury that no one saw coming.
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Oakland would like to see how Crisp handles running the base paths on Monday before they make a definite decision on when he could re-join the team. If he is able to run without any pain, then there is a good chance he will be activated from the disabled list immediately.
“I think we’ll have a really good indication of where he is tomorrow,” manager Bob Melvin said before Sunday’s series finale against the Seattle Mariners, according to Athletics.com. “He’s scheduled to run the bases, depending on how today goes. If he runs the bases well tomorrow, who knows?”
Crisp was batting .283 with five home runs, 12 RBI, 10 doubles, one triple, eight stolen bases and 24 runs in 99 at-bats before the injury. Considering his offensive numbers rank towards the top in every category on the team, his presence has truly been missed.
The Athletics have lost seven of the 11 games they have played since the 11-year veteran was placed on the disabled list. Getting him back for the series finale against the Texas Rangers could be critical in the outcome of the three-game series.
