Seth Brown dealing with side discomfort

Oakland Athletics outfielder Seth Brown is out of the lineup for Sunday’s series finale against the Tampa Bay Rays and is likely unavailable off the bench. MLB.com’s Martin Gallegos reports that Brown felt discomfort in his rib cage area after a check swing in Saturday’s loss. He is being evaluated Sunday morning.

Brown is off to a slow start at the plate hitting .200/.250/.367 with one home run and a 71 wRC+ through the first eight games. He has seen time in left and at DH. Brown was 0-for-2 with a walk and a strikeout before giving way to Ryan Noda in Saturday’s loss. Brent Rooker started in left field Saturday and Conner Capel will be there on Sunday.

Brown was a bit part of Oakland’s offense last season with 25 home runs and a 117 wRC+. It is too early to know whether this might result in a trip to the injured list, but it is likely in play.