A’s Bailey On The Road To Recovery?
By Joseph Lopez
The A’s have missed having Andrew Bailey for the first month of the season, but Oakland’s young closer might be close to returning. According to Oakland’s official team site, Bailey threw 25 fastballs in his first live batting practice session.
Bailey, 26, threw to live hitters and always optimistic Bob Geren praised Bailey’s efforts. The A’s young closer has been sidelined after suffering a right forearm injury back in March, but he is seemingly making progress.
According to Jane Lee of MLB.com, Bailey has yet to throw many breaking balls off the mound, and that could be the next step for Bailey’s recovery. Furthermore, Bailey will probably have to go on a minor-league assignment before joining the A’s.
Oakland could expect to have Bailey back by June, which means the bullpen will continue to hand the ball over to Brian Fuentes in the ninth inning. The A’s acquired Fuentes along with Grant Balfour this past offseason, so Bailey’s absence has been a little easier to cope with.