Billy Beane on Oakland A's Sean Doolittle and Coco Crisp injuries: They probably won't be playing a whole lot this year

Oakland Athletics general manager Billy Beane will be moving ahead on the assumption that we won't be seeing a whole of Sean Doolittle and Coco Crisp this season. Beane said Thursday afternoon on 95.7 The Game, "We have to be realistic that both Sean and Coco probably aren't going to be playing a whole lot this year...They could come back, maybe later but they're a long way off and I think we have to keep that in mind with whatever we do."

Today, on Flight 957 with Chad, Joe & Lo, Doolittle said in response:

Yeah, unfortunately I think he might be on to something. If we think about it, I'm going to the field every day right now. I'm doing rehab on my shoulder and trying to get better but the fact of the matter is I probably won't pick up a baseball and start throwing again for probably another two weeks or so. And then we've got to build it back up and get it to a point where it's ready to start throwing off the mound again.

Unfortunately, I'm kinda in it for the long haul again. Probably not quite as long because this time around it's more of just some inflammation in the muscles rather than the tendon so typically that heals a little bit faster. I think when it comes to shoulders I just found out that they can be really tricky. I can see what [Beane] is saying. I guess it's just kind of a big question mark. We're really not sure at this point how long it's going to be. I guess if you're in his shoes and you're trying to put a team together to make a run at the playoffs you gotta do it knowing they'll be without me and Coco for a little bit.

Doolittle did not think, however, he was rushed back to the mound in any way, and there is nothing he would have done differently in his rehabilitation from the slight shoulder tear that kept him out of spring training and the regular season until May 26.

Outfielder Coco Crisp is expected to be out beyond the mid-July All-Star break after receiving an epidural last Saturday for chronic neck problems.