Athletics put Reddick on DL
The Oakland Athletics' quest to catch the Texas Rangers in the American League West got a little tougher Monday when right fielder Josh Reddick went on the disabled list.
Reddick aggravated a long-standing right wrist injury during a strikeout in Sunday's game against the Baltimore Orioles.
Brandon Moss, Oakland's regular first baseman, started in right field Monday during the series opener against the Tigers in Detroit. Daric Barton, recalled from Triple-A Sacramento to fill Reddick's roster spot, got the start at first base.
Reddick, 26, first hurt the wrist in April, and he re-injured it Wednesday. Following an MRI exam, he was cleared to return to action Saturday, but the pain returned Sunday.
After hitting 32 homers, tops on the team last year, Reddick is struggling at the plate this year, hitting .213 with 10 homers and 46 RBIs. However, after winning a Gold Glove in 2012, Reddick remains a star on defense.
Barton, 28, is in his seventh season with Oakland, but he has yet to prove he can hit major league pitching. In 121 games over the past three seasons combined, he has a .205 average with two homers and 30 RBIs. He hit .297 with a .423 on-base percentage, seven homers and 69 RBIs in 110 Triple-A games this year.
The A's also made a change of right-handed relievers Monday. They designated Pat Neshek for assignment and called up Evan Scribner from Sacramento.
Neshek, 32, went 2-1 with a 3.58 ERA in 41 games this year. However, he allowed a total of six runs in his last three outings, which covered three innings.
Scribner, 28, had no decisions and a 5.03 ERA in 13 appearances for Oakland earlier this season.
Oakland entered play Monday night trailing Texas by 2 1/2 games.
