Just when Eric Chavez was getting close to returning from his most recent injury, nerve inflammation in his right forearm and elbow, another problem popped up.
The A's third baseman will travel to Phoenix for therapy for a bulging disk in his back, manager Bob Geren said Tuesday. An MRI done Monday revealed the problem, and Chavez will see Dr. Rob Blackaby at the Desert Institute of Physical Therapy about the disk issue. Chavez had back surgery, a microdiscectomy, in October 2007, and he has had three shoulder surgeries in the past year and a half, two on his right and one on his left.
Chavez had said Saturday that he hoped to start a rehab assignment this week and rejoin the team on Friday at Detroit, but Geren said the timetable for Chavez's return has been moved back "a couple of weeks."
With Chavez out, Bobby Crosby and Jack Hannahan will play third, and Nomar Garciaparra could be a possibility when he comes back from a calf strain, which could be as early as Friday. Hannahan is likely to be sent out when Garciaparra returns.
A'S 12, ROYALS 3: Orlando Cabrera, moved atop the lineup earlier in the homestand, had three hits and four RBIs, and Jack Cust banged a three-run homer in Oakland's seven-run second inning. However, for the A's slow-starting offense, the best news of the night might have been the two hits and two RBIs from struggling Matt Holliday. Rookie Trevor Cahill earned his second consecutive victory.
