AUGUST 27: Piscotty underwent successful surgery on his left wrist this morning, the team announced. Unsurprisingly, he won’t return this season.
AUGUST 23: Athletics outfielder Stephen Piscotty is back on the 10-day injured list due to ongoing discomfort in his sprained left wrist, and trainer Nick Paparesta tells reporters that the “anticipation at this point in time” is that surgery will be required (link via Matt Kawahara of the San Francisco Chronicle). He’s had a pair of cortisone injections already that have helped but have not remedied the issue entirely.
It’s been a difficult couple seasons for Piscotty at the plate, as he’s hitting just .220/.282/.353 in 188 plate appearances this season and carries a .223/.277/.355 slash in 359 plate appearances dating back to Opening Day 2020. The wrist injury has obviously hampered him, at least in 2021, and given that there are just six weeks remaining on the current regular-season schedule, it’d be tough to envision Piscotty returning this year if surgery is indeed required. He’s slated to meet with a specialist this week.
Originally acquired in a Dec. 2017 trade with the Cardinals, Piscotty had an outstanding debut campaign in Oakland, hitting .267/.331/.491 with 27 home runs and 41 doubles in 605 plate appearances (151 games). Knee and wrist sprains plagued him in 2019, however, and his production has waned as the overall number of injuries he’s incurred in recent years has mounted.
Piscotty has typically been a player who holds his own with about average offense against right-handed pitching (.252/.316/.422 career batting line, 101 wRC+) while thriving in platoon settings (.277/.357/.468 and a 126 wRC+). His drop-off this year has happened across the board, however, as he’s providing roughly average offense against lefties and hitting just .181/.236/.313 against righties.
Piscotty’s decline is particularly problematic for the low-payroll A’s. The now-30-year-old right fielder inked a six-year, $33.5MM deal with the Cardinals back at the beginning of the 2017 season after a pair of impressive seasons to begin his career. The 2022 season is the final guaranteed year of that contract, and he’s still owed $7.25MM next year, plus a $1MM buyout of a $15MM club option for the 2023 season. He’s earning that same $7.25MM in 2021 and accounting for a bit more than eight percent of the team’s current payroll in the process.
It sucks to see good guys get hurt while overrated hot dogs like Bader continue to get the royal treatment.
You hate Bader why?
Don’t hate anyone. Did you read my comment? If you can’t see the ultimate hot dog in him, then I can’t help you. Loves himself. Loves to see himself on the big screen after a catch. Bat twirls at the plate.Totally inconsistent. Yet he’s been given carte Blanche everyday in CF? If I was a pitcher, his butt would be on the ground at least once every at bat. Then three sliders and on the bench. Not sure why all pitchers don’t use that formula? And Kiermaier is no different. So it’s not just Bader who does this. Kiermaier has been overrated for years.
This is about Piscotty. Open a twitter account if you want to pointlessly spout a bunch of crud about a guy because you are a hateful moron lol
Yk by this logic so is Bellinger and like 50 other players…
Since you’re too dumb to connect the dots, the Cards have traded away all outfielders to make room for Bader as their CF. They went all in on Bader and it’s not paying off.
lol so you’d rather stephen piscotty play CF in st. louis?
I think the Cardinals are play with an average hitter with an elite glove in CF
But you are hateful and definitely a moron, and you post here all the time! lol (like a preteen girl)
mlb1225, our resident woman hater. Why are you a misogynist?
This is the most insane diversion Ive ever seen, from Piscotty potentially getting hurt to one dumb fans personal hatred of Harrison Bader- why god, why?
Why did you need to make essentially the exact same comment twice? Why?
Piscotty was traded to be close with his mom who was dying of ALS, Lou Gehrig’s disease in her final months. It was a wonderful thing for the Cardinals organization to have done for the Piscotty Family. Bader has nothing to do with it.
Can’t generate the bat speed needed to be a decent hitter with a injured wrist. If cortisone hasn’t helped and were pre dating at bats effected back to 2020, then that isn’t healing by itself. Wish piscotty luck with the more than likely coming procedure and rehab.
Hmmm….didn’t see Bader mentioned in the article at all. You must be commenting on the wrong thread as this article is about the A’s and Piscotty. Of course, it could just be Disjointed ramblings.
I like biscotti. It’s crunchy.
Ha I see what you did there
Every time I read anything about Stephen Piscotty, I’m reminded of the trade that STL and Oakland made so he good be closer to his mom during her last few years. I know there was a logjam in the Card outfield, but the fact that the trade was made with the A’s, actually says something about both organizations. A real feel good story.
Too bad the A’s are going to miss the playoffs. Maybe next year.
See how they respond tonight.
Either way, they still have plenty of time to run down the Astros.
No they don’t. The A’s have lost 10 of their last 12 games and are barely holding on to 2nd place in the division with Seattle about to catch them. But at least the Warriors might make the playoffs, right?
But believe me I’m rooting for them against the Yankees. Go A’s!
@Porter –
Yeah. I was probably wrong there. I checked the standings. Thought the A’s were closer than they are.
Absolutely no need for two separate paragraphs there. Dude. Bro. Dude. Just a bunch of jocks here. Dude. Bro.
Darn he was gaining
Momentum this year
Hopefully this means the A’s quit optioning Seth Brown – I love Piscotty, but he’s been very very bad this year…