Coco Crisp’s Chronic Conundrum: Injury Haunts Oakland Athletics Outfielder

On Tuesday night against the Houston Astros, Oakland Athletics outfielder Coco Crisp was removed from the game with what was confirmed to be tightness in his neck. Crisp did so while attempting to track down what would be a double from Colby Rasmus in the second frame. By the bottom of the fourth inning — it was announced that A’s speedster Billy Burns would take over center field as a defensive replacement, Sam Fuld shifted to left, leaving A’s fans to speculate the worst about their longest tenured Athletic.

Ever since Crisp was acquired by the A’s in 2007, there’s no secret his speed, clutch hitting, and “all out” play in the field is what intrigued GM Billy Beane to sign him in the first place. On the surface Crisp was a vital cog to the Athletics organization; contributing to Oakland’s back-to-back division titles in 2012 and 2013, while squeaking their way into the 2014 American League Wild Card game.

While the A’s were thriving on the diamond, the physical demand of a 162-game season ultimately took a toll on Crisp; like it does on all professional athletes. Whether it’s making a diving catch, keeping your head down while swinging for the fences, or stealing a base, it’s crucial to — in Crisp’s case, have a flexible neck to move, but also strong enough to support the weight of your head.

According to an article on WebMD.com, our neck is composed of seven spinal bones encompassed with several disks that act similar to shock absorbers. For an athlete, this enables them to take on the rigorous scenarios I mentioned in the previous paragraph. However, at Crisp’s age, it can take an extensive amount of time to address his chronic neck issue — considering the fact that when it’s heaved in a forward or backward motion with such force, a tear of this ligament can ultimately cause a sprain or strain to the affected area.

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Oakland A’s insider, Joe Stiglich, mentioned in a recent piece on CSN Bay Area that the A’s outfielder missed several games in 2014 — due to his neck strain, but some how played through the pain. When Crisp returned, he mustard a .247 average with nine home runs and 47 RBIs in 126 games played that year. If that wasn’t enough, the bone chips in his elbow raised a cause for concern coming into the 2015 campaign. While it is true that he’s been battling the issue for several seasons, it apparently hasn’t been a complication for the 35-year old outfielder.

After a couple of rehab assignments with the Stockton Ports, Crisp seemed to be ready to help a struggling Oakland ball club — who has yet to escape the American League West cellar and maintains the worst record in major league baseball, going into Thursday night’s opener against the Tampa Bay Rays. While Crisp’s time table is uncertain, Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle reports that the Athletics outfielder have an MRI and will see a specialist in Dallas tomorrow; meaning that the 24-man roster will stay intact.