A’s won’t know status of Piscotty’s knee until Monday
ANAHEIM — The severity of Stephen Piscotty’s knee injury won’t be known until at least Monday, but there was a small amount of optimism as the A’s prepared to play the Los Angeles Angels in the final game of their four-game series on Sunday at Angel Stadium.
Piscotty left the 4-0 win on Saturday night after spraining the knee while sliding into second base in the sixth inning. He was placed on the 10-day injured list on Sunday.
“We feel like it might not be as significant as it looked last night, but you never know until you have the MRI,” A’s manager Bob Melvin said on Sunday. “We have our fingers crossed.”
The A’s have Monday off before opening a three-game series against the visiting Minnesota Twins on Tuesday.
Khris Davis also remained out of the starting lineup for the third straight game after getting hit on the left hand by a pitch in the series opener on Thursday night. Melvin said Davis felt better on Sunday morning and took some swings in the indoor batting cages at Angel Stadium.
A’s closer Blake Treinen is also expected to take a major step toward his return from a sprained right shoulder.
Treinen is scheduled to make a rehab start at Triple-A Las Vegas on Monday and would be eligible to come off the 10-day injured list during the series against the Twins.
Treinen, who made his first All Star team a year ago, last pitched on June 20, giving up three runs without recording an out in a 5-4 win against the visiting Tampa Bay Rays.
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The A’s recalled infielder Franklin Barreto from Las Vegas to fill Piscotty’s roster spot and Melvin put him in the starting lineup on Sunday at second base.
Barreto, 23, was hitting .296 at Las Vegas with 12 home runs and 48 RBIs. Melvin likes his power and said he’s likely the fastest player on the 25-man roster now.
He was hitting .240 at the end of May, but has lifted his average as he boosted his power, clubbing nine home runs in June and driving in 32 runs.
“He’s been playing great after getting off to a little bit of a slow start,” Melvin said. “He’s been on a real hot streak, so it’s probably prudent to get him in there and let him play.”
Barreto was the top prospect in the organization heading into the 2017 season, even ahead of current A’s third baseman Matt Chapman, but finding a regular spot for him to play at the Big League level has been a challenge.
Barreto had 76 at-bats in 25 games for the A’s in 2017, and 75 at-bats in 32 games last season.
He showed some improvement, batting .233 with five home runs and 16 RBIs last season after hitting .197 with two home runs and six RBIs in 2017.
“It looks like he’s going to get some games here,” Melvin said. “He’s a pretty dynamic player when things are going well for him. I hope he gets off to a good start because he could really add to our lineup.”