High praise for Cotton

KANSAS CITY, Mo. — As if it weren’t enough to get major compliments from a Hall of Famer, Jharel Cotton had even more reason to be thrilled when Pedro Martinez compared the A’s rookie to himself on MLB Network and on Twitter.

“Pretty exciting. I grew up watching him pitch — he was my idol,” Cotton said Wednesday. “It’s pretty cool he said those things.”

Cotton, 25, worked seven shutout innings at Kansas City on Monday, and Martinez noted that they are the same height (5-foot-11), they were both prospects traded by the Dodgers, and they have the same assortment of pitches, including the same wicked changeup. A sideby-side video of the two showed the similarities between their deliveries.

“I used to go to the playground and try to pitch like he did,” Cotton said of his childhood years in the Virgin Islands. “I never knew we had the same changeup grip. What surprised me the most was when he was talking to Dan Plesac about my changeup — Pedro hit it on the nose, talking about the pinkie finger. It has to be on the ball to get the spin on it . ... I was like, ‘Wow, that’s how I throw mine!’ ”

Asked about Martinez’s glowing comments, manager Bob Melvin said, “Who am I to argue that? You look at the pitch complement, a lot of similarities there. It’s one heck of a compliment.” Chapman update: The A’s said that an MRI exam on Matt Chapman’s left wrist did not show any structural damage and that swelling has lessened and his range of motion has improved. There is no timetable for Chapman’s return; the Triple-A Nashville third baseman, one of Oakland’s top prospects, missed much of 2015 with a wrist injury. Briefly: Melvin is all in favor of removing the tarps at the Coliseum, which was done this week. “You’ll see people up there. It will be great,” he said. ... Ryon Healy was dropped from third to sixth in the lineup. “A little break,” Melvin called it. Healy had been 5-for-32 (.156), but went 2-for-4 with a walk Wednesday. He’s a career .377 hitter (23-for-61) when batting sixth . ... Chris Bassitt (Tommy John surgery) will throw a simulated inning at extended spring training Friday.