A’s injuries: Moreland hamstring, Puk and Pinder updates

The Oakland A’s have already overcome a few minor injuries early in the 2021 season, as Sean Murphy, Ramon Laureano, and Matt Olson each missed a few games but are now back in the lineup and playing well.

However, another hitter is now taking a brief turn on the bench. DH Mitch Moreland was out of the lineup Friday due to “a little hamstring issue,” reports Shayna Rubin of the Mercury News. The lefty was available to pinch-hit if needed, but was not called to do so. He also did not play on Saturday, and the team is off Sunday, so he’ll get three straight days off.

In addition to Moreland, the A’s are still without super-sub Chad Pinder. He sprained his left knee making a nice catch in the outfield last weekend, and went on the 10-day injured list Monday. His recovery is on a week-to-week basis, and he “has not resumed baseball activity at this point,” reports Matt Kawahara of the S.F. Chronicle.

On the pitching staff, top prospect A.J. Puk is on the IL with a strained left biceps, and it won’t be a minimum stint. “10 days is not going to work as far as him being back,” said manager Bob Melvin, per Kawahara. The lefty missed all of 2020 to a shoulder injury that required surgery, but he returned to the MLB mound on Monday and had the best outing of his young major league career.

Oakland made its first use of the 60-day IL, after closer Trevor Rosenthal had thoracic outlet surgery to remove a rib. The right-hander will miss at least three months, or half the season. Per Alex Coffey of The Athletic:

A’s head trainer Nick Paparesta on the symptoms Rosenthal was experiencing after his last outing in [spring training]: “He was getting some numbness into his fingers, he was getting some pain into his neck and his chest, and he was not able to sustain his velocity for a long threshold of time.”

Here’s the updated injury report, after the first 10 games of the new season. Starter Mike Fiers made his second rehab outing in an alt-site scrimmage Saturday, reports Bill Moriarity of Athletics Farm.

• RHP Trevor Rosenthal, 60-day IL, thoracic outlet surgery (July at least)
• UT Chad Pinder, 10-day IL, knee (week-to-week)
• LHP A.J. Puk, 10-day IL, biceps (at least most of April)
• RHP Burch Smith, 10-day IL, groin (no details yet)
• LHP Reymin Guduan, 10-day IL, thumb (no details yet)
• RHP Mike Fiers, 10-day IL, lumbar (second alt-site rehab outing 3/10)
• DH Mitch Moreland, day-to-day, hamstring (available to pinch-hit)