Athletics' JJ Bleday: First hit since IL activation
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Bleday went 1-for-3 with a walk and a run in a win over the Twins on Thursday.
Bleday was playing in only his second game since returning from a stay on the injured list due to a knee sprain. After going hitless Wednesday, he got on base for the first time since Aug. 13, the last game he'd played prior to his absence. With the Athletics due to face right-handers Chase Silseth and Davis Daniel in the first two games of a season-ending weekend series against the Angels, the lefty-hitting Bleday should be set for another two starts in 2023 before potentially taking a seat against southpaw Kenny Rosenberg on Sunday.
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Athletics' JJ Bleday: Activated from injured list
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Bleday (knee) was activated from the 10-day injured list Tuesday, Martin Gallegos of MLB.com reports.
Bleday has been sidelined since mid-August with an ACL sprain in his left knee, but he'll be available for the Athletics this week after appearing in a few rehab contests. The 25-year-old should see playing time, at least against righties down the stretch.
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Athletics' JJ Bleday: Stands out while playing full game
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Bleday (knee) took a full game's worth of plate appearances as the designated hitter in Triple-A Las Vegas' win over Reno on Saturday, going 3-for-4 with a double, a solo home run, three total RBI and a walk.
Bleday's night couldn't have gone much better, as the recovering outfielder continued to corroborate the improving health of his knee by suiting up for a second straight day. Bleday logged seven innings in the outfield during his rehab debut Friday night and reached safely twice in that contest, so he appears to be trending firmly in the right direction in all aspects. Bleday may be deemed to need only one more game with the Aviators before potentially being activated ahead of Tuesday's series opener against the Twins.
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Athletics' JJ Bleday: Kicks off rehab stint
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Bleday (knee) started in left field in Triple-A Las Vegas' loss to Reno on Friday night and played seven innings, going 1-for-3 with a walk.
Bleday had a solid showing all the way around in his first rehab game, getting in an extended stint on defense while providing some offense as well. The outfielder may need only a couple more games down on the farm before he's deemed ready for activation, which would enable him to get in multiple games at the big-league level before the conclusion of the regular season Oct. 1.
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Athletics' JJ Bleday: Beginning assignment Friday
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Bleday (knee) will begin a rehab assignment with Triple-A Las Vegas on Friday, Martin Gallegos of MLB.com reports.
With the Triple-A season nearing its end, Bleday will likely remain in Las Vegas for its final few games and could return to Oakland next week if everything goes as planned. Bleday has been out of action since mid-August due to a sprained ACL in his right knee.
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Athletics' JJ Bleday: Expected to up activity level
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Bleday (knee) is expected to run the bases sometime this week and may subsequently head out on a short rehab assignment, the Associated Press reports.
Bleday was originally thought to very likely be done for the season when he was diagnosed with an ACL sprain in mid-August, but the outfielder has progressively been disproving that assumption over the last few weeks. Bleday's recovery has been going faster than expected, with his most recent benchmark being a live batting practice session Friday. If Bleday does indeed run the bases without setbacks in the coming days and then gets in a quick rehab assignment before the minor-league season wraps up, he could have a chance to get some big-league at-bats in before the end of the 2023 campaign on Oct. 1.
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Athletics' JJ Bleday: Live batting practice on tap
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Bleday (knee) took batting practice for the second time in three days Wednesday and is slated for a live batting practice session Friday against Austin Pruitt (forearm), the team's official site reports.
Bleday continues to make unimpeded progress from his left ACL sprain, with the recent pair of batting practice sessions coming on the heels of the outfielder gaining clearance to resume running this past weekend. The progression to live batting practice could soon be followed by a brief minor-league rehab assignment, and it increasingly appears Bleday will have a chance to log some game action before the end of the regular season.
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Athletics' JJ Bleday: Logs first BP session
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Bleday (knee) took batting practice Monday, Nathan Han of MLB.com reports.
Bleday took the field for batting practice for the first time since going down with a left knee sprain as he continues to ramp up his baseball activities. The outfielder was also cleared to run over the weekend. A timeline for Bleday's return has yet to be established, but given his recent progress, it's not out of the question that he could take the field again in 2023.
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Athletics' JJ Bleday: Making progress with injury
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Bleday (knee) has begun running again and could take batting practice by the middle of the coming week, the Associated Press reports.
The outfielder went on the injured list Aug. 15 after an MRI revealed an ACL sprain in his left knee. At the time, it was expected there was a good chance he'd miss the rest of the regular season. However, Saturday's update seems to indicate some tangible progress, and it seemingly gives Bleday an outside chance of returning for at least the last week of the campaign if his recovery process continues without setbacks.
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Athletics' JJ Bleday: Diagnosed with ACL sprain
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Bleday was diagnosed with an ACL sprain in his left knee after undergoing an MRI on Tuesday, Martin Gallegos of MLB.com reports.
Athletics manager Mark Kotsay didn't rule Bleday out for the rest of the season, but there's no guarantee the outfielder makes it back on the field even if he doesn't require surgery to address the injury. If Bleday remains out, he will finish 2023 with a .203/.313/.373 slash line, 10 home runs and 27 RBI across 284 plate appearances. Catcher Carlos Perez (thumb) was brought back from the 10-day injured list on Tuesday to fill Bleday's roster spot.
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Athletics' JJ Bleday: Out with sprained knee
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Bleday was placed on the 10-day injured list Tuesday with a left knee sprain, Martin Gallegos of MLB.com reports.
The 25-year-old was held out of the lineup for Monday's matchup with the Cardinals and will be sidelined until at least the middle of next week. Carlos Perez (thumb) was reinstated from the injured list in a corresponding move, while it's likely Tony Kemp and Brent Rooker will see more action in the outfield while Bleday is on the shelf.
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Athletics' JJ Bleday: Bows out Monday
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Bleday is not in the lineup for Monday's game against the Cardinals.
Bleday started Oakland's first 11 games in August and posted an .898 OPS over the last six contests, but manager Mark Kotsay decided it was time for a day off. Bleday most frequently lined up in left field over the last week or so, but Esteury Ruiz will slide over and cover that spot Monday night.
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Athletics' JJ Bleday: Launches 10th homer Saturday
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Bleday went 1-for-3 with a solo home run in a loss to the Nationals on Saturday.
Bleday blasted a 432-foot shot to center field in the third inning to knot the game at 1-1, leaving the yard for the second time in the last four games. The 24-year-old has hit safely in four of his last five games, but the aforementioned recent pair of homers are the only extra-base hits he's tallied across the 48 plate appearances covering his last 13 games.
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Athletics' JJ Bleday: Homers in Tuesday's loss
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Bleday went 1-for-3 with a solo home run and a walk in Tuesday's 6-1 loss to the Rangers.
Bleday accounted for two of the five baserunners the Athletics generated in the contest. He's gone a paltry 3-for-24 (.125) with two walks over seven contests in August, but he could have a clearer path to playing time now that Ramon Laureano is out of the picture. Bleday is up to a .203/.316/.370 slash line with nine homers, five stolen bases, 26 RBI, 30 runs scored and 11 doubles through 73 contests this season. He started in right field Tuesday, though he can handle all three outfield positions and is likely to move around as the Athletics see fit.
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Athletics' JJ Bleday: On base twice in loss
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Bleday went 1-for-3 with a walk and a run in a loss to the Rangers on Monday.
Bleday had been mired in a 1-for-18 slump over his first five games of August before his modest breakout effort Monday. The 25-year-old coaxed his season average back over the Mendoza Line with his performance, but his atypically high 33.3 percent strikeout rate over the last 11 contests -- a stretch during which he's produced only one extra-base hit -- has resulted in an arduous period for fantasy managers.
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Athletics' JJ Bleday: Heads to bench versus lefty
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Bleday is out of the lineup for Sunday's game against the Rockies.
The lefty-hitting Bleday will take a seat with southpaw Ty Blach on the bump for the Rockies, breaking a streak of 19 consecutive starts for the young outfielder. In 14 games since the All-Star break, Bleday has produced an .830 OPS while walking nearly as many times as he's struck out (12:13 BB:K) in 14 games. Even though the Oakland outfield will become more crowded when Esteury Ruiz (shoulder) likely returns from the injured list later this week, Bleday has probably done enough to keep himself secure in a near-everyday role.
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Athletics' JJ Bleday: Stuffs stat sheet
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Bleday went 2-for-3 with a solo home run, a walk, a stolen base and two total runs scored in Sunday's 3-2 loss to the Astros.
Bleday went 0-for-9 with three walks across the first three games of this series before breaking the slump Sunday. The outfielder is also starting to find a power swing with three homers over his last six contests. He's slashing .215/.332/.398 with eight homers, 24 RBI, 25 runs scored and five stolen bases across 61 contests. Bleday has improved on virtually everything except triples compared to his numbers as a rookie in 2022.
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Athletics' JJ Bleday: Home run, double in win
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Bleday went 2-for-4 with a double and a two-run homer in Wednesday's 6-5 win over the Red Sox.
Bleday tied the game 2-2 in the first inning with a two-run homer off Brayan Bello. The 25-year-old Bleday has now homered in back-to-back games after hitting just one in his previous 23 contests. Through 207 plate appearances this season, Bleday's slashing .218/.329/.397 with seven homers, 22 RBI, 23 runs scored and four steals.
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Athletics' JJ Bleday: Two-run homer in win
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Bleday went 1-for-4 with a two-run home run in Tuesday's 3-0 win over the Red Sox.
Bleday went deep in the second inning with his first homer since June 23. The outfielder has hit safely in nine of 13 games in July, going 11-for-47 (.234) so far this month. He's up to a .212/.325/.371 slash line with career highs in homers (six), RBI (20) and runs scored (22) while adding four stolen bases and nine doubles over 56 contests.
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Athletics' JJ Bleday: On base three times in loss
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Bleday went 1-for-3 with an RBI single and two walks in a loss to the Twins on Friday.
Bleday extended his hitting streak to four games with Friday's busy night, pushing his average to its highest point (.215) since June 9. The 25-year-old has an impressive 13.4 percent walk rate and modest 21.9 percent strikeout rate, meaning he could be due for continued ascension if his atypically low .252 BABIP normalizes over the course of the second half of the season.
