A's place OF Seth Brown on IL with oblique issue

Oakland outfielder Seth Brown is headed for the injured list with an oblique issue, according to Martin Gallegos of MLB.com. Brown was unavailable during Sunday’s game against the Rays after feeling discomfort during a check-swing in Saturday night’s game, and it appears the issue is serious enough to warrant an IL-stint, though no details regarding Brown’s timetable for return have been revealed. 

Gallegos also reports that infielder Kevin Smith is set to join the club in Baltimore, presumably to replace Brown on the active roster.

Brown, who is entering his age-30 season in 2023, was the best hitter in the A’s lineup last season who returned this season as he posted a 25 homer season while slashing .230/.305/.444 in 150 games last year, good for a wRC+ of 117. 

Only Sean Murphy, who the A’s traded to the Braves in a three-team deal with the Brewers over the offseason, had a better year in terms of wRC+ among A’s regulars. 

Though he still has three seasons of team control left prior to free agency after 2023, Brown entered the year as a plausible trade candidate for the A’s come July due to his age and the club being in the midst of a rebuild that saw the likes of Murphy, AJ Puk, and Cole Irvin traded this past offseason.

Brown hits the injured list without having gotten going at the plate, having posted a wRC+ of just 71 in his first eight games this season, but with strikeout and walk rates roughly in line with last season and a deflated .238 BABIP, there was plenty of reason for optimism that his production would return to 2022 levels with a larger sample size. 

Those hopes will have to be put on hold for now, however, though it’s currently unclear if Brown will require only the minimum stay on the IL or miss a longer period.

That leaves the A’s likely to turn to Smith, who struggled mightily in 47 games at the big league level with Oakland last season, slashing just .180/.216/.302 in 151 plate appearances. 

That being said, Smith has a career .817 OPS in the minor leagues and, at 26 years old, could still put it together at the major league level. Acquired from the Blue Jays in the trade that sent Matt Chapman to Toronto, Smith provides the A’s with a great deal of versatility off the bench, as he has experience at all four infield spots in addition to the outfield corners.

Any time missed by Brown will likely stand to benefit outfielders Brent Rooker and Connor Capel, each of whom have drawn a start at Brown’s usual spot in left field over the past two games. 

It’s also possible that an infielder, like Tony Kemp, could move to left, allowing shortstop Nick Allen to get extra at-bats in the infield.