Knee sprain shelves Pinder; Puk called up

A’s utilityman Chad Pinder was placed on the injured list Monday with a sprained left knee he sustained making a catch at the wall Sunday against the Astros. Manager Bob Melvin said he had not received results of Pinder’s MRI exam as of Monday afternoon and had no timetable beyond the minimum IL stint.

“We know it’s 10 days,” Melvin said, “and hopefully that’s all it is.”

The A’s recalled lefthander A.J. Puk from their alternate site in a corresponding move. Puk will join the bullpen — he adds a fresh arm to a group that was heavily worked in the opening series against Houston, totaling 152⁄3 innings over four games.

Puk pitched 31⁄3 scoreless innings in relief against the Dodgers on Monday night. He struck out four and gave up one hit and three walks

Returning from shoulder surgery, Puk was in competition for the A’s fifth rotation spot in spring. He pitched in relief with Oakland during a brief callup in late 2019. In 10 games, he worked 112⁄3 innings, allowing four runs and striking out 13. The A’s could use him for multiple innings in relief, Melvin said.

Pinder was hurt on the first play of Sunday’s game when he hit the wall leaping for Jose Altuve’s drive to right field and landed hard. His absence further thins an Oakland outfield that is already without center fielder Ramón Laureano because of a jammed left wrist.

Melvin termed Laureano as still daytoday Monday.

“Obviously, if we’re not putting him on the injured list, then we have hopes one day it’ll get that much better,” Melvin said. “Those things are kind of unpredictable.”

Pinder had started well. He had two hits Opening Night and a pinchhit home run Friday and made several standout catches in right field. His defensive versatility gives the A’s coverage in the outfield corners and three infield spots. The A’s carried just a threeman bench in Monday’s game: outfielders Laureano and Stephen Piscotty and backup catcher Aramis Garcia.

Briefly: Piscotty, who was in the starting lineup for one of the A’s first five games, is “maybe a little bit more targeted with lefties right now” and will start Tuesday facing Dodgers lefthander Clayton Kershaw, Melvin said. … Closer Trevor Rosenthal, who is on the IL with right shoulder inflammation, was scheduled to see a doctor Monday. … The opening series was the first time A’s starting pitchers have been charged with a loss in each of their first four games of a season since 1936.