OAKLAND — Danny Valencia will play one more game for Single-A Stockton on Wednesday night, and A’s manager Bob Melvin remains optimistic of getting his third baseman back for Friday’s road trip opener at Baltimore.
Valencia, sidelined since straining his left hamstring on April 20, played his first rehab game with Stockton on Monday and then returned to the A’s to get checked out Tuesday.
“We want to bring back a healthy player,” Melvin said. “To this point that’s been the case. But you never know when you get tested running down the line on a ball you’ve got to beat out. Or if you’ve got to go first to third, second to home. We’ll see how he feels, hold off and see how tonight goes, but that is the plan,” to activate him Friday.
The A’s will gladly welcome back an impact bat to their lineup. After an impressive 10-game stretch offensively, they’ve dipped back down recently, hitting .197 and scoring a total of just eight runs over the last four games.
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Coco Crisp went to see a doctor before Wednesday’s game for what Melvin called a non-baseball medical issue, but he expected the outfielder to be back for the game and possibly be available off the bench.
Crisp also is dealing with a heel issue, and Melvin said he wanted to take the opportunity to keep Crisp out of the lineup Tuesday and Wednesday, then give him Thursday’s day off as well to let him heal up and be ready for the Baltimore series.
