A’s second baseman Mark Ellis told Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle this weekend that he expects to be activated from the 15-day disabled list on June 22, the first day he’s eligible.
Ellis was shut down just five days ago with a sore right hamstring, but he ran at about 75 percent effort on Saturday afternoon and also took grounders on the infield during batting practice. He’s getting healthy quickly and should be ready to head out on a minor league rehab assignment early this week.
Now comes the big question: Will Ellis have a starting job upon returning to the major leagues?
The A’s called up top infield prospect Jemile Weeks when they disabled Ellis on June 7, and Weeks has brought an element of excitement to the Oakland batting order. Through his first 19 major league plate appearances, the 24-year-old is hitting .353/.389/.647 with two triples, a double and an RBI.
A’s interim manager Bob Melvin told reporters that he’s evaluating the situation on a “day to day” basis.