Athletics’ Esteury Ruiz to undergo MRI following left wrist injury

OAKLAND — Esteury Ruiz was in attendance and not ruled out of action Sunday, but the Athletics’ speedy outfielder’s prognosis won’t be known until he undergoes further testing.

Ruiz left in the sixth inning of Saturday’s 20-4 win over the Miami Marlins after diving for a ball that ended up being a hit. He remained on the ground for some time after appearing to injure his left hand (glove) and was removed from the game in favor of Seth Brown.

“He’s sore today,” Athletics manager Mark Kotsay said. “We have an MRI set up for tomorrow so I’ll know more about it.”

Ruiz was not in the starting lineup but did not wear a brace or wrap on his gloved hand. Kotsay wouldn’t go so far as to rule Ruiz out of the series finale against Miami.

“I wouldn’t say unavailable,” Kotsay said. “In the right situation, we can use it.”

Ruiz is hitting .262 with two home runs, seven RBIs and four stolen bases while being caught three times. Unlike the full-time role Ruiz played most of last season when he led the majors with 67 stolen bases as a rookie, he has been used more on a part-time basis with the rises of JJ Bleday and Tyler Nevin , Nevin also playing. both corners of the infield.

Noda and Nick

Ryan Noda and Nick Allen, both recently optioned to Triple-A Las Vegas, will head to the minors with different assignments.

Noda was in an 0-for-28 slump that saw his batting average drop to .128.

“It was a good time for a reset,” Kotsay said. “Any time you get off to a tough start and start chasing results, you can find yourself in a bit of a tailspin. Ryan, he’s going to come back down, get his confidence back, get his swing back. He was obviously objectively one of our best hitters in the lineup last year. I just didn’t get off to a good start.

Allen was hitting .171 with a home run and three RBIs and committed six errors in 25 games at shortstop. This is the fourth time Allen has been sent to Triple-A.

“He has to perform,” Kotsay said. “He’s had a rough start to the season and I think Nick needs to come down and surpass that Triple-A level.”

With Allen off the roster, Kotsay said the A’s were comfortable with Max Schuemann replacing Darell Hernaiz at shortstop.

The force is strong with this one 💫

2nd home run of the game for Brett Harris! pic.twitter.com/BH8BeRBZ9A

– Oakland A (@Athletics) May 5, 2024

Harris Text Message Overload

Brett Harris, the A’s rookie third baseman who hit two home runs Saturday for his first major league hits, said his text messages numbered 350 after his debut the night before. Now that he’s added both home runs, Harris is nervous about how many messages he’ll have to return.

“It’s kind of crazy,” Harris said. “I’ll have to let it go for a while.” I think people will understand.

Harris joins Bert Campaneris (July 23, 1964) as the only players in franchise history to hit a two-homer game in the first or second game of his career.

Health Updates

— Left-handed pitcher Ken Waldichuk (UCL strain left elbow) experienced a setback after a recent bullpen and will be re-evaluated.

— Infielder/flyer Miguel Andujar suffered a setback to his right knee after meniscus surgery.

“He had some side knee pain that slowed him down,” Kotsay said.