Brandon Moss to Have Off-Season Surgery

Susan Slusser has reported that Brandon Moss will undergo hip surgery during the off-season.Mandatory Credit: Ed Szczepanski-USA TODAY Sports

Susan Slusser has learned that Brandon Moss, an integral factor in the A’s early season success and a 2014 all star, will undergo microfracture surgery on his right hip during the off season. While this injury left Moss unavailable during Wednesday’s game versus the Angels, a game that was desperate for a “Moss is Boss” moment, he will be available to finish the season and, presumably, play in the post. Slusser reports that Moss had a cortisone shot before the Wednesday game which is like putting a patch on your flat tire. Sure, you’ll get home but your tire is fundamentally broken. The injury, which has resulted in severe cartilage degeneration, has affected Moss’ range although he would not tell Slusser that the pain was a factor in his second half numbers.

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To think that such a painful injury had no affect on what has been a truly disappointing second half is borderline delusional unless the pain has been fairly persistent for the entire duration of the season. It was unclear in Slusser’s exclusive report what had caused the injury or the specific length of time he has been suffering but a quick glance at his numbers before and after the All Star Break would certainly indicate that the problem either began or worsened mid season.

Prior to the All Star Game, Moss’ line read .268/.349/.530.  He led the team with 66 RBI’s and 21 home runs (yeah, he was doing better than that guy we just sent to Boston). Since the break, however, his line has sunk to .179/.312/.218, a huge crash and burn from his first half and he’s sixth on the team in terms of RBI production and has only hit four home runs, two of those coming in the past week. While some folks will continue to hypothesize that Moss’ collapse at the plate is due to Cespedes no longer “protecting” his at-bats, a rational, reasonable person like myself would wager that a once nagging injury has evolved into a persistent, agravating issue that has caused Moss to adjust aspects of his game.

While I don’t doubt the desire for hustle I do doubt that, with this particular injury, Moss has been physically able to perform at 100%.

Moss may be available for the series opener in Texas and will, presumably, have his operation following a potential post season appearance. Best wishes to Moss on a speedy recovery and I look forward to your new bionic legs coming into play pretty heavy in 2015. Now, to figure out what’s wrong with Callaspo.