Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports
Jane Lee of MLB.com has reported that Yoenis Cespedes will be undergoing an MRI:
Cespedes will get an MRI on shoulder tomorrow. Hard to know extent of injury until then.
— Jane Lee (@JaneMLB) September 15, 2013
Cespedes was originally in the lineup for the Oakland Athletics as the DH for a second straight day. However, manager Bob Melvin had to scratch the home run derby champ due to soreness in his right shoulder, and replaced him with Nate Freiman.
The second-year player initially sustained the injury on the team’s last homestand when he dove for a fly ball in left field. Melvin told Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle that he was hoping for good news:
Melvin says that he hopes Cespedes injury not significant and that he can at least DH.
— Susan Slusser (@susanslusser) September 15, 2013
Melvin’s comment would seem to imply that he’s already prepared for the possibility of not having Cespedes in the field anytime soon. It’s a far from ideal time for the free-swinger to go down. He’s hitting .373 (19-for-53) with three home runs, two doubles, one triple and eight-multi hit games in 13 contents in September.
Oaklad has a surplus of bats right now with Daric Barton, Josh Reddick and Chris Young all rounding into form, but in general, the team leans to the left side. So, to lose Cespedes’ bat could be problematic against lefties.
Ken Korach noted on the broadcast on “95.7 FM The Game” as the Athletics completed the sweep over the Texas Rangers that success against left-handed starters can often be a “barometer” for overall success. After beating the lefty Martin Perez 5-1 on Sunday, the Athletics are now 30-19 against lefties, which is the second-best in mark to the Boston Red Sox, who have the top record in the AL.
Cespedes is hitting .276 with a .497 SLG and .866 OPS against left-handers on the season. In general, the team is also 78-46 (.629) with the 26-year-old in the lineup and 10-15 (.400) without him. Hopefully Melvin will get his wish, and Cespedes will be back in the lineup as the DH on Monday night at the O.co Coliseum.
Karl Buscheck is an Oakland Athletics writer for www.RantSports.com. Follow him on Twitter @KarlBuscheck and add him to your network on Google.
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