Zito75
07-13-2006, 11:32 PM
For a while there, I thought Melhuse had a shot at first. Looks like Swisher is there now, and Bradley goes back to the outfield from the DL.
[AP Wire]
BOSTON -- A's outfielder Milton Bradley will be activated off the disabled list on Friday, and MLB.com has learned that the corresponding roster move will be to send first baseman Dan Johnson to Triple-A Sacramento.
Johnson, 26, last year batted .275 with 15 homers and 58 RBIs in 106 games and was unanimously named to the Topps All-Rookie Team ahead of National League Rookie of the Year Ryan Howard. But since opening his sophomore season by going 0-for-27, he's been wildly inconsistent.
After batting .196 with two homers and eight RBIs over the first two months of the season, Johnson bounced back to hit .321 with four home runs and 16 RBIs in June. With July, however, came another major slump; he entered Thursday's opener of a four-game series at Fenway Park batting .132 (5-for-38) in his past 11 games and .237 overall.
And as A's manager Ken Macha noted last week while discussing Bradley's imminent return, "We're getting to the time of year when we need production."
The subtraction of Johnson and the addition of Bradley, who has been out since June 15 with a strained left shoulder, essentially turns second-year slugger Nick Swisher into Oakland's full-time first baseman.
Swisher, who led the team in homers (20), RBIs (52), walks (57), total bases (156), runs (63) on-base percentage (.378) and slugging (.510) while tying for the team lead in hits (79) in the first half, made his 22nd start of the season at first base on Thursday. He's started 63 games in left field, where Bobby Kielty and Jay Payton likely will split time with Swisher at first and Bradley in right.
[AP Wire]
BOSTON -- A's outfielder Milton Bradley will be activated off the disabled list on Friday, and MLB.com has learned that the corresponding roster move will be to send first baseman Dan Johnson to Triple-A Sacramento.
Johnson, 26, last year batted .275 with 15 homers and 58 RBIs in 106 games and was unanimously named to the Topps All-Rookie Team ahead of National League Rookie of the Year Ryan Howard. But since opening his sophomore season by going 0-for-27, he's been wildly inconsistent.
After batting .196 with two homers and eight RBIs over the first two months of the season, Johnson bounced back to hit .321 with four home runs and 16 RBIs in June. With July, however, came another major slump; he entered Thursday's opener of a four-game series at Fenway Park batting .132 (5-for-38) in his past 11 games and .237 overall.
And as A's manager Ken Macha noted last week while discussing Bradley's imminent return, "We're getting to the time of year when we need production."
The subtraction of Johnson and the addition of Bradley, who has been out since June 15 with a strained left shoulder, essentially turns second-year slugger Nick Swisher into Oakland's full-time first baseman.
Swisher, who led the team in homers (20), RBIs (52), walks (57), total bases (156), runs (63) on-base percentage (.378) and slugging (.510) while tying for the team lead in hits (79) in the first half, made his 22nd start of the season at first base on Thursday. He's started 63 games in left field, where Bobby Kielty and Jay Payton likely will split time with Swisher at first and Bradley in right.