MRI shows Chapman has hip tendinitis, will miss games
Matt Chapman left Sunday’s game against the San Diego Padres early, feeling pain in his right hip after diving and twisting to make a play on a ground ball. An MRI revealed Chapman is dealing with right hip tendinitis, manager Bob Melvin said prior to Monday’s game.
Chapman will not be placed on the injured list, and is considered day-today. He could return at some point during the five-game series against the Houston Astros, though he is expected to miss most of it.
“It takes a lot to get him to come out of a game,” Melvin said. “And then the timing of it, missing this series, is unfortunate. He’s frustrated.”
Chapman had been experiencing pain in his right hip during the previous series in Houston on Aug. 28, and perhaps before that. But, the pain felt worse when the A’s returned to the Coliseum field for work outs after the fiveday hiatus.
“He was comfortable playing on it until that throw, but at this point we have to back off of it now.
“It’s not the most ideal person to be out right now. But the fact of the matter is, we’re going to have to deal with it for a while and pull it out,” Melvin said.
Tommy La Stella played third base in Chapman’s place Monday. He’s experienced all over the infield, having played third in 119 games through
his seven-year career; he played third in 30 games last season with the Los Angeles Angels.
Chapman had been struggling at the plate, and some on the defensive end, prior to this injury. Since the series in Houston — which turned into a doubleheader after two game postponements due to protest and Daniel Mengden’s COVID-19 diagnosis — Chapman was batting .176 and had struck out in 10 of his last 11 at bats. He also committed his fifth error of the season.
Did the hip injury impact his performance?
“Sitting here and listen to him tell me the timeline, I would say yes,” Melvin said. “I don’t know if he would tell you that. He would defer and say you have to fight through it, that’s what baseball is all about. But sitting here now I’d say yeah.”
Chapman has not yet been
made available for comment. PUK SHUT DOWN WITH LEFT SHOULDER INJURY >> After news of Chapman’s hip issue, more injury news hit the Oakland camp.
The A’s prized left-handed pitcher A.J. Puk was shut down for a third time this year with a left shoulder injury.
Puk was supposed to throw a bullpen session Sunday, as he was nearly on his way back to the A’s bullpen for the rest of the season. But Puk felt pain and couldn’t even play catch Sunday or Monday.
“I don’t know how severe, he probably is going to have to see a doctor in the next day or so,” Melvin said.
Puk was shut down with a left shoulder strain in early March during the first spring training. He was shut down again prior to the truncated season with the same injury.
Puk hasn’t played on the big league squad this season but
was called up in August last season and compiled a 3.18 ERA with 13 strikeouts out of the bullpen. Puk would have been an ideal bridge reliever candidate to replace the void left by right-handed reliever Burch Smith, who is out possibly for the rest of the year with a right forearm strain.
Puk, 25, has struggled with injuries throughout his young career. He underwent Tommy John surgery in 2018. It appears there’s a chance Puk could miss out on this strange season, too.
THE STARS DID NOT ALIGN >> Mike Fiers, who blew the whistle on the Astros’ sign stealing system, will be the only A’s starter to not pitch against them this regular season. The A’s will play the Astros five times this week, but new acquisition Mike Minor will pitch the second game of today’s doubleheader. This means Fiers will miss out.