:format(webp)/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/45834020/usa-today-8404545.0.jpg)
Josh Reddick was scratched from the Oakland A's Cactus League game on Friday against the Arizona Diamondbacks. Reddick suffered a strained oblique, according to Susan Slusser, Jane Lee, and Joe Stiglich (and probably others, sorry to any sources I missed).
Slusser has the full scoop in her post on the SF Chronicle's site, and you should give that a click to get all the details (and/or Jane Lee's take on MLB.com). The short version is that Reddick hurt himself during defensive drills and that he'll miss at least 4-5 days, but that he's had worse oblique pain in the past and isn't especially worried long-term. Lee adds that oblique injuries are notoriously tricky when it comes to timetables for return, so we'll have to have wait to find out the real damage.
However, if there was ever a good time for a problem like this to come up, it's now. Reddick has a month to rest the muscle and get himself ready to go, so he can take his time and do it right the first time rather than letting it linger all year like happened with his wrist injury in 2013. Accordingly, Stiglich relays that Reddick knows April 6 is the important date to shoot for.
Stephen Vogt getting closer to playing
The word yesterday was that Vogt was getting close to playing in Cactus League games, and he's made another step toward that return (from offseason foot surgery). Slusser reports that Vogt ran today and that we could see him in games next week. (Lee is also on the scoop.) Hey, sometimes no news is the best news.
Jarrod Parker close to throwing live BP
Parker is still on the long road back from Tommy John surgery. Slusser reports that he is throwing fastballs, curves and changes on Friday, and that both he and manager Bob Melvin think he's close to throwing live batting practice.
Bob vs. Chip
For the last three years, Chip Hale was Bob Melvin's bench coach in Oakland. On Friday, they were opposing managers, and Hale now leads the D'Backs. The skippers met at the plate before the game.
Once colleagues, now competitors. #DbacksSpring pic.twitter.com/1jhALCcBap
— Arizona Diamondbacks (@Dbacks) March 6, 2015
If more news comes out, we'll toss it in here, so make sure to check back later in the day!
