Jacob Wilson, Denzel Clarke Nearing Return to A's Lineup
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The Athletics are 13-12 out of the All Star break, which has been in line with how they've performed all season--outside of a 1-20 stretch in May and June. What makes this most recent stretch impressive is that they've continued to keep rolling without their best defender in Denzel Clarke, and one of their two All Stars in rookie Jacob Wilson.
Both are set to begin their rehab assignments in the coming days.
A's manager Mark Kotsay told reporters before Wednesday's game that Clarke would be starting his rehab assignment on Friday night in Triple-A Las Vegas, and the affiliate announced that Wilson would be joining him on Saturday.
Wilson, 23, has been on the IL for a couple of weeks after suffering a fractured right forearm after being hit by a pitch before the All Star break. He missed a couple of games heading into the break, then played in the Midsummer Classic, and in the first two series out of the break, but he went an uncharacteristic 3-for-38 (.079) before landing on the IL.
On the year, Wilson is batting .312 with a .354 OBP, but before that rough stretch he'd been batting .335 with a .379 on-base. The hope for the A's is that Wilson will come back fully healthy and be able to pick up where he left off before the injury, finishing the season strong.
Clarke, 25, made his big-league debut on May 23 and immediately took the league by storm with his defensive prowess. While Chicago's Pete Crow-Armstrong has been the best defensive centerfielder in baseball this season with +19 Outs Above Average in 117 games, Clarke isn't too far behind with a +12 rating in just 47 games.
If Clarke had stayed healthy, he would have certainly won the AL Gold Glove award at the position, even with his debut coming two months into the season. Even in just 47 games played, Clarke ranks tenth among fielders at any position, making the case that he's the best defender in baseball when he's on the field.
At the plate Clarke is hitting .230 with a .274 OBP overall, but he had started to really find his groove at the dish in July before his injury, batting .298 with a .340 on-base in 14 games, with six doubles, two triples and a homer. He officially landed on the IL on July 22 with a right adductor strain. If he comes back hitting like that, then he'd be the prototypical nine-hole hitter that can set up the top of the order.
There has been no timeline given for how many at-bats each player needs in the minors in order to be deemed ready, but given that each hasn't missed a ton of time, their rehab stints will likely be on the shorter end, rather than an extended period.
The Athletics will be traveling to Minnesota to take on the Twins after an off-day on Monday, followed by a trip to Seattle, while the Aviators are scheduled to travel to Albuquerque for a six-game series.
Jason has been covering the A’s at various sites for over a decade, and was the original host of the Locked on A’s podcast. He also covers the Stanford Cardinal as they attempt to rebuild numerous programs to prominence.
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