Yoenis Cespedes to DL; A’s Recall Michael Taylor

Yoenis Cespedes has been placed on the Oakland Athletics 15-day disabled list with a strained left hand.  Cespedes has been dealing with the strain for the past week and it caused him to miss several games.  The A’s replaced Cespedes on their roster with former top prospect Michael Taylor.

After Cespedes was diagnosed with a strain rather than a fracture or break earlier this week, the A’s thought that the Cuban slugger’s hand wouldn’t force him to the DL.  However, Cespedes has continued to experience discomfort.  While he said he was ready to go before Saturday’s game, he was again scratched from the A’s lineup after complaining of discomfort in his hand following batting practice.

The injury comes at a bad time for the A’s, who are currently two games over .500 after winning seven of their last 10 games.  While they’re in the midst of a promising start, the A’s offense has been basically nonexistent this season, as the club ranks near the bottom of the league in most offensive categories.

Despite missing the last several games, Cespedes continues to lead the A’s in RBIs (21).  Over his first 28 games and 106 at-bats with the A’s, Cespedes maintained a line of .245/.319/.434 with five home runs and five doubles.

While Josh Reddick replaced Cespedes in center during the first part of his absence, the A’s have turned to fellow offseason acquisition Collin Cowgill to handle center field duties for the past two games.

Michael Taylor has only appeared in 15 games at the major league level, collecting nine hits over his 46 at bats (.196/.275/.283).  Taylor owns a career .851 OPS in the minors and this season he’s posted a line of .347/.390/.547 over his first 105 at-bats for the A’s Triple-A affiliate.

For more on the Athletics be sure to check out Swingin’ A’s.

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