When A’s outfielder Buddy Reed would make an impressive catch and run into the dugout, he made sure manager Bob Melvin was looking at him.
Melvin joked there were many times Reed was looking in his direction. That shows how stellar of a spring Reed was having and how badly the outfielder wanted to prove himself. That was until he sustained a right quad strain swinging in the batting cages. This must have impacted Reed greatly.
“I would say absolutely, yeah, I mean this is the best opportunity he’s ever had to play,” Melvin said Wednesday. “I know it’s still spring training, but he’s gotten a lot of at-bats, and he’s playing with the A-group at times, so yeah I’m sure he’s very disappointed.”
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After Wednesday's game against the Kansas City Royals, Melvin said Reed's MRI revealed he would be "out for a little while."
The “Buddy Reed Show” turned into something binge-worthy this spring. I received many texts from industry people inquiring about him as the weeks ticked by. He was making leaping catches in the outfield while showing off his speed in the process.
It ultimately came down to how the switch-hitter's bat would perform in Arizona. His .167 batting average doesn’t quite show that, but we don’t anticipate a quiet upcoming season for Reed, no matter what level he ends up. And fans will adore him.
Reed also was not part of the 15 players who were optioned to the A’s various minor league teams this week.
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Reed was acquired by the A’s in Dec. of 2019 via trade that sent Jurickson Profar to the San Diego Padres.
RELATED: Examining A's position battles after first spring cuts
More injury notes from Wednesday:
- Catcher Sean Murphy is scheduled to return on Thursday after undergoing surgery to fix a collapsed lung prior to spring training.
- Closer Trevor Rosenthal pitched in Wednesday’s game. In one inning, he struck out one and gave up two hits. He recently sustained a groin injury.
- Center fielder Ramón Laureano also underwent an MRI on Wednesday after being scratched from Tuesday’s lineup against the Arizona Diamondbacks. He sustained an intercostal injury that caused some soreness in his left side. He looks to return to games early next week.
- Pitcher Mike Fiers, who currently is dealing with some hip inflammation, has not thrown yet and remains shut down for a while.