OAKLAND -– Brandon Moss likely will miss the rest of this series against the Los Angeles Angels with his strained right calf, A’s manager Bob Melvin said Saturday.
The first baseman is listed as day-to-day and wasn’t scheduled for any field activity Saturday, after he left Friday’s game when he felt his calf cramp up.
Melvin said Moss might benefit from resting all the way through Monday’s day off, with an aim toward returning for Tuesday’s road trip opener against the New York Yankees.
“We’ll see on (Sunday),” the manager said. “Most likely, probably not. We’ll give him through the off-day. Again, I don’t want to get ahead of myself. We’ll see how he’s doing tomorrow.”
[RELATED: Moss leaves game with tightness in calf]
Kyle Blanks is playing first base Saturday night with the Angels throwing left-hander Tyler Skaggs, and it’s possible that would have been the case even if Moss were healthy.
Yoenis Cespedes is hitting cleanup in Moss’ spot, though Cespedes typically bats fourth against lefties anyway. Should Moss miss extended time, it’s worth watching how Cespedes fares if he assumes the regular cleanup role.
He’s 7-for-46 (.152) over his past 11 games. Overall, Cespedes is at .236 with nine home runs and 32 RBI.
“You go through some periods,” Melvin said. “(Derek) Norris is going through a bit of a tough time too. You’re never going to be the same over the course of 162. Sometimes ‘Ces’ tries to do a little bit too much. More than anything, when you’re swinging and missing at some balls, you’re not picking it up as early as when you’re swinging it well.”
In other news, Ryan Cook will make a rehab appearance as expected for Single-A Stockton on Saturday night. Melvin said he’s hopeful Cook (strained forearm) might require just one outing before rejoining Oakland’s bullpen, but said that depends on how Cook looks and feels while pitching for the Ports.
“We want to see him do well and do all the things that would suggest you have some confidence coming back to the team,” Melvin said. “It could be as quick as one. It could be a couple. Hopefully it’s no more than that.”
