The A's announced Friday first baseman and 2018 Gold Glove Award recipient Matt Olson underwent successful right hamate excision surgery on his right hand. The surgery was performed in Los Angeles by Dr. Steven Shin:
#Athletics first baseman Matt Olson has undergone surgery on his right hand pic.twitter.com/6AnA6CAdjI— Ben Ross (@BenRossSports) March 22, 2019
Olson left Thursday's game against the Mariners due to some discomfort in his right hand and having some trouble gripping his bat.
While we are unsure how long Olson will be out, this article in the Orthopaedic Journal of Sports Medicine states similar injuries could sideline players from three to seven weeks with the median time ranging around five weeks.
For now, the A's do have Mark Canha who can play at the first base position. Jurickson Profar is always an option as well, he can play anywhere. But he covers so much range in the middle of the infield, picturing him anywhere else but second base seems strange.
We knew this was looking like bad news when it happened, but now that we know for sure, the A's need to figure out a more direct plan knowing the team is without their first baseman and a very powerful bat to start out the season.
