ANAHEIM - Of all the ways that rookie Ryon Healy has impressed since arriving with the A's, his durability has to be near the top of that list.
On Wednesday, Healy started at third base for the 68th time in 69 games since being called up from the minors at the All-Star break. Rather than wearing down, his performance appears on the upswing as the regular season nears the finish line.
He's hitting .359 (55-for-153) with 18 multi-hit games over his last 39 contests. Overall, his current .309 batting average is tops among any rookie in Oakland history based on a minimum of 250 plate appearances (ahead of Mitchell Paige's .307 mark in 1977).
He believes his workout routine and preparation has helped keep him strong over a long season. Wednesday marked his 153rd game of the season. Never before had he played in more than 136.
"Physically I feel really good," Healy said. "I'm just taking care of my body in the weight room, the training room. I have a pretty good routine right now with the strength coaches, just taking care of that every day."
Healy credits a former minor league teammate, shortstop Daniel Robertson, for showing him a solid routine for surviving the daily grind. Robertson was a highly touted prospect that the A's dealt before the 2015 season in the trade that brought Ben Zobrist from Tampa Bay.
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"He had a really good stretching routine, a mixture of muscle activation, (using) some of the mini-bands and stuff," Healy said. "Knowing your body, knowing what you need every single day to stay healthy."
Healy only need look to his left when he's in the field to find another good example to follow. A's shortstop Marcus Semien is playing his 155th game of the season Wednesday. That leads the A's and it ties Semien's career-high mark set last season.
Healy and Semien are similar in that their durability is all the more impressive considering all the pregame work they put in daily with infield coach Ron Washington (though they're hardly the only players logging that time with Washington).
"He's on the Marcus program," manager Bob Melvin said of Healy. "Not only has he played (almost) every game, and every inning, he's out here doing all the early stuff with Wash. He's taking this very seriously. When you get this type of opportunity as a young player in the big leagues, I would suggest you handle it as he does."
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Infielder Renato Nunez, bothered by upper back soreness in recent days, was doing much better before Wednesday's game and Melvin considered him available off the bench.
