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Oakland Athletics News & Notes: Doolittle, Clippard, Reddick

By Sean Bialaszek

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Familiar faces are few and far between for the Oakland Athletics, following their offseason swap-a-thon. Now for the A’s, two of those familiar faces are going to be forced to miss Opening Day.

On Friday, Athletics’ closer Sean Doolittle began playing catch as he continues to recover from offseason shoulder surgery. He also had maybe the best line of the Spring, saying “they’re letting me out of my cage to play with my friends!”

Despite the steps forward and good attitude, Doolittle will not be ready for opening day, which is no surprise. In his place, newcomer Tyler Clippard will man the closer’s role. This was the expected move, but A’s manager Bob Melvin made it official on Friday.

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Clippard was acquired in the offseason, in a trade with the Washington Nationals for infielder Yunel Escobar. During his eight years in Washington, Clippard was mostly the eighth inning set-up man, but he is no stranger to the ninth inning, either.

Clippard spent 2012 as the Nats’ closer, and recorded 32 of his 34 career saves. Over the past six seasons, he has established himself as one of the most consistent and reliable relievers in baseball, as he owns a 2.64 ERA and 1.029 WHIP.

Oakland’s right fielder Josh Reddick is also expected to miss Opening Day as he battles a strained right oblique muscle. Injuries have been a problem for the outfielder since his breakout season in 2012, when he played in 156 games and mashed 32 home runs. Over the past two seasons, Reddick has missed 101 games, and combined for just 24 home runs.

In his place, the expectation is for another newcomer, super utility man Ben Zobrist, to take over the starting right field duties, while infielder Eric Sogard takes Zobrist’s expected post at second base.

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Although Reddick will likely start the season on the disabled list, the Athletics could backdate the start of his DL stint to earlier this spring, which would allow him to return after missing just five regular season games.

Zobrist, who was also acquired in a trade, this one from the Tampa Bay Rays, was expected to be the opening day starter at second base, but his versatility allows Melvin to move him into right field, and not worry about losing anything defensively with the former Gold Glover Reddick out.

Sogard is also no stranger to second base, as he’s started 187 games at the position, the most of any position in his career. The bespectacled Sogard won’t strike fear with his bat, as he’s a career .235 hitter, but he’s an excellent defender.

In order to fill Reddick’s roster spot, A’s manager Melvin stated he wanted to keep a player who can play multiple positions. The San Francisco Chronicle’s Susan Slusser reported that Tyler Ladendorf looks like the favorite to break camp with the big league club, but Billy Burns is also an option.

Ladendorf is a utility man, having played second base, third base, shortstop, and all three outfield spots in the minor leagues. He’s had a nice Spring Training so far, hitting .306 with two doubles, a triple, a home run, and 11 RBI. The 27-year-old has never reached the major leagues.

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    • Burns isn’t quite as versatile as Ladendorf, but he can play all three outfield positions. His speed is also a great asset, as he has stolen 179 bases in four minor league seasons. Burns did find himself in the major leagues in 2014, but in 13 games, he received only six at-bats, as he was mainly used as a pinch-runner. He did steal three bases, and score four times.

    Burns has also had a great Spring, as he tries to force his way on to the A’s opening day squad. Through 21 games, Burns owns a .345 batting average, and has shown off his speed quite a bit. He owns three triples, and has stolen four bases. His speed would be a huge asset to the Athletics, or any team, for that matter.

    Luckily for the A’s, Reddick’s injury isn’t serious, and if everything goes as planned, he won’t miss much time. Doolittle’s outlook, on the other hand, is not so certain. There’s no true timetable for his return, but beginning to throw is a great step forward.

    There are a lot of uncertainties surrounding the A’s this year, and the sooner these two players return, the better.

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