Athletics' Denzel Clarke: Nursing new adductor strain
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Clarke has been shut down from baseball activities after he was diagnosed Tuesday with a Grade 2 right adductor strain, Martin Gallegos of MLB.com reports.
Clarke recently suffered a setback while on a rehab assignment, and his new strain is in a slightly different spot than the one that initially sent him to the 10-day injured list in late July. The rookie outfielder is without a timeline for a return.
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Athletics' Denzel Clarke: Suffers setback during rehab
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Clarke (hip) had a setback Friday in the midst of a minor-league rehab assignment and is returning to the Athletics to be evaluated, Martin Gallegos of MLB.com reports.
Clarke went 1-for-2 in his first rehab game Friday, but he was pulled before getting a third plate appearance. It was thought that the rookie outfielder was on the verge of being activated off the injured list, but it now seems he'll be out at least a bit longer. A clearer picture of Clarke's timeline moving forward could emerge after he is evaluated.
Clarke (hip) is expected to start a rehab assignment Friday with Triple-A Las Vegas, Martin Gallegos of MLB.com reports.
Clarke was sidelined July 22 with a Grade 2 right adductor strain but has progressed enough to begin a rehab assignment as he works toward a return to the majors. His overall numbers this season -- a .646 OPS across 47 games -- have been underwhelming, yet the rookie entered the injury break swinging the bat well. In 14 games during July, he posted a .298/.340/.574 slash line with a .914 OPS, six doubles, two triples, one homer, two steals and two RBI. While the 25-year-old is still working to establish himself offensively at the major-league level, Clarke's return is highly anticipated for the difference his elite defense makes in center field.
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Athletics' Denzel Clarke: Closing in on return
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Clarke (hip) is nearing a return from the 10-day injured list, Jessica Kleinschmidt of Baseball America reports.
General manager David Forst didn't specify if Clarke, who landed on the 10-day injured list July 22 with a Grade 2 right adductor strain, would require a rehab assignment. However, Forst noted that Clarke "is close to going out and playing," per Kleinschmidt. A firm timetable for Clarke's return could come into focus over the next few days.
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Athletics' Denzel Clarke: Back to baseball activities
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Clarke (hip) began a hitting and running progression Tuesday, MLB.com reports.
Clarke landed on the injured list July 22 due to a Grade 2 adductor strain, and it's encouraging that he was shut down from baseball activities for only about a week. The 25-year-old has a lot of work to do in his rehab before being game ready, but a return in mid-August appears plausible.
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Athletics' Denzel Clarke: Officially lands on 10-day IL
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The Athletics placed Clarke on the 10-day injured list Tuesday with a Grade 2 right adductor strain.
Clarke suffered the injury during Sunday's game against the Guardians. There's no word yet on how long Clarke might be sidelined, but given the nature of the injury, it would be a surprise if it's a minimum absence. Lawrence Butler slid over to center field to cover for Clarke on Monday in Texas and could continue to play the position while the latter is sidelined.
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Athletics' Denzel Clarke: Exits Sunday with hip discomfort
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Clarke went 1-for-3 with a double and a run scored in Sunday's 8-2 loss to Cleveland before he was removed from the game in the bottom of the eighth inning due to right hip discomfort, Theo DeRosa of MLB.com reports.
Clarke suffered the injury in the top of the eighth, when he came up gimpy while rounding the bases on Nick Kurtz's run-scoring double. The Athletics haven't provided an official update on Clarke's status ahead of Monday's series opener in Texas, but if he requires a stint on the injured list, the team could bring back JJ Bleday or Colby Thomas back from Triple-A Las Vegas to serve as his primary replacement in center field. Though most of his highlights in the majors since his May 23 promotion have come on the defensive end, Clarke has picked up the pace at the plate of late, slashing .298/.340/.574 with six doubles, two triples and a home run over his past 14 games.
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Athletics' Denzel Clarke: Homers in big win
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Clarke went 2-for-4 with a two-run home run, a triple and two total runs scored in Friday's 11-2 win over the Giants.
Clarke provided the Athletics' last runs in the blowout win, lifting a seventh-inning homer. That ended an 0-for-11 skid for the outfielder, who is still struggling to find consistency at the plate. He's at a .200/.248/.318 slash line with three homers, eight RBI, 12 runs scored, five stolen bases, two doubles and one triple over 36 major-league games since his call-up in late May. While his offense has been mediocre at best so far, he's been excellent defensively to hold down a starting role in center field.
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Athletics' Denzel Clarke: Resting Friday
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Clarke is out of the lineup for Friday's game against the Yankees.
Clarke will get the night off Friday after making four consecutive starts in center field. In his place, JJ Bleday will bat seventh and patrol center field.
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Athletics' Denzel Clarke: On bench for series finale
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Clarke is out of the lineup for Wednesday's game against the Angels.
Seth Brown will get the nod in center field in the series finale while Clarke sits for the just the second time in the last 13 games. The 25-year-old has made multiple highlight-reel plays on defense since getting his first call-up to the big leagues May 23, but Clarke is struggling to provide much fantasy utility, despite playing regularly. Aside from chipping in a home run and three stolen bases in his first 17 games, Clarke has slashed just .200/.228/.273 with a 54.4 percent strikeout rate across 57 plate appearances.
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Athletics' Denzel Clarke: Back in action Sunday
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Clarke (shoulder) is starting in center field and batting ninth Sunday against the Orioles.
The 25-year-old was withheld from the starting nine Saturday after he exited Friday's contest due to a bruised left shoulder, but he's ready to play after sitting out just one game. After going 1-for-19 with 15 strikeouts in his first six big-league games, Clarke has found his footing of late with one homer, three steals and a .333/.379/.481 slash line in his past eight contests. However, he still has a 41.4 percent strikeout rate during that latter stretch, so the production may not be sustainable.
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Athletics' Denzel Clarke: Exits with bruised shoulder
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Clarke was removed from Friday's game against the Orioles with a left shoulder contusion, Martin Gallegos of MLB.com reports.
Clarke hit the outfield wall hard while making a catch in the fourth inning of Friday's contest, and he was later replaced on defense when the A's took the field in the sixth. His status for the immediate future remains unknown.
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Athletics' Denzel Clarke: Set for promotion
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The Athletics are expected to call up Clarke from Triple-A Las Vegas on Friday, Jeff Passan of ESPN.com reports.
Clarke is among the organization's top prospects, and his status has risen quickly within the last year after he made a mechanical adjustment at the plate. While he's played in a hitter-friendly environment in Las Vegas this season, Clarke has struck out at a modest 22 percent clip while walking in 18 percent of his plate appearances and providing a .300/.449/.440 slash line with seven stolen bases. His power may not immediately translate to the majors, but he has elite speed and is an above-average defender in center field. His arrival to the big leagues could result in the struggling JJ Bleday moving into a fourth-outfielder role.
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Athletics' Denzel Clarke: Heads to minor-league camp
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The Athletics optioned Clarke to Triple-A Las Vegas on Monday.
Clarke was one of 13 players the Athletics reassigned or optioned to minor-league camp Monday in the club's latest round of roster cuts. The Athletics added the 24-year-old outfielder to their 40-man roster in November following a 2024 season in which he slashed .269/.339/.445 with 13 home runs and 36 steals over 478 plate appearances at Double-A Midland. Clarke is likely to spend most of the upcoming season at Las Vegas but should have the opportunity to make his MLB debut at some point in 2025 if he shows he can handle pitching in the Pacific Coast League.
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Athletics' Denzel Clarke: Slugs two homers Sunday
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Clarke went 2-for-3 with a pair of home runs and three RBI on Sunday in Double-A Midland's 4-1 win over Frisco. He also reached base on a hit by pitch.
Clarke saw his 2023 campaign come to an early end in late July due to a left shoulder strain, but he returned to full health for the start of the 2024 campaign. Though Clarke's .717 OPS over 215 plate appearances on the season lags far behind his 2023 mark (.877), the 24-year-old outfielder has caught fire at the plate of late. Over his last 11 games, Clarke has gone 17-for-38 (.447 average) with eight extra-base hits and two stolen bases.
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Athletics' Denzel Clarke: Returns from Double-A injured list
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Clarke (shoulder) is slashing .382/.488/.941 with four home runs, 13 runs, 11 RBI and one stolen base in 43 plate appearances over his nine games since being activated from Double-A Midland's 7-day injured list April 24.
Clarke missed the first two and a half weeks of the minor-league season while recovering from a left shoulder strain, but he hasn't had any trouble tapping into power upon being activated from the IL. For all his success thus far, the 23-year-old outfielder is striking out at a 30.2 percent clip, so expect his production to drop off considerably once his .500 BABIP regresses to a normal level.
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Athletics' Denzel Clarke: Returns from IL
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Clarke (undisclosed) has gone 1-for-19 with three walks and four stolen bases in six games since being reinstated from High-A Lansing's 7-day injured list Tuesday.
Clarke was on the shelf for just five days with the unspecified issue, which may have been COVID-19-related. Since moving up to the High-A level in mid-June, Clarke has slashed .209/.308/.407 with eight home runs and 14 steals in 46 games.
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Athletics' Denzel Clarke: Heads to IL
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High-A Lansing placed Clarke on the 7-day injured list Thursday due to an unspecified injury.
Lansing's season is set to come to an end Sept. 11, so Clarke's 2022 campaign could well be over if his injury keeps him sidelined beyond the minimum amount of time. Since receiving a promotion from Single-A Stockton in mid-June, Clarke is hitting .226 with eight home runs and 12 stolen bases over 180 plate appearances in the Midwest League.
