The Oakland Athletics have placed outfielder Seth Brown on the injured list because of a strained oblique, the team announced Monday. In a corresponding move, infielder Kevin Smith has been promoted from Triple-A Las Vegas.
Brown, 30, suffered the injury on a check swing over the weekend as part of Oakland's series versus the Tampa Bay Rays. In eight games this season, he's batted .200/.250/.367 (73 OPS+) with one home run in 32 trips to the plate. He's expected to miss at least a month of action, and potentially up to six weeks, according to Joe Trezza of MLB.com.
Brown has established himself as an above-average hitter in recent years. Indeed, he posted a 113 OPS+ over 862 combined plate appearances during the 2020-21 seasons. Provided he makes a quick and full recovery, that production could make him someone worth watching as the trade deadline nears. After all, the A's have shown no desire to hold onto players aging into their arbitration years, and he'll qualify for the first time after this season.
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Smith, 26, used to be considered a top prospect. The A's acquired him as part of the trade that sent Matt Chapman to the Toronto Blue Jays in March 2022. He's appeared in 65 big-league games in his career, amassing a 41 OPS+ and striking out in 53 of his 187 plate appearances -- or, 28%. Smith has above-average raw power and had a nice spring; it's to be seen if either of those things will end up mattering in his latest spin at the big-league level. (For whatever it's worth, he'd hit .300/.382/.833 with five home runs in seven Triple-A contests this year.)
The Athletics are tied for the worst record in the majors, at 2-7. Their minus-45 run differential is, by far, the worst in the sport. The next-worst mark belongs to the Miami Marlins, at minus-19 runs.
