Scott Kazmir left his start on Wednesday after just three innings because of shoulder tightness and was immediately sent for an MRI. Jayson Werth has been on the disabled list since May with a left wrist contusion, but a CT scan revealed something worse.
The Athletics received Kazmir's MRI results on Thursday night. The left-hander has no structural damage in his shoulder, according to Joe Stiglich of CSN Bay Area, but it's still unknown if he'll have to serve a stint on the DL. Manager Bob Melvin said Kazmir will likely at least miss his next start.
"We're going to wait and see," Melvin told Stiglich. "Doc's going to see him today but I think we're looking at just missing a start. We'll get confirmation of that later. (The MRI showed) nothing structurally wrong, just a little bit of a weak shoulder. You could kind of tell with him yesterday that was the case. He was open to going back out. We just want to be careful."
Kazmir got off to a fast start this season after his All-Star campaign in 2014, but he has stumbled in the month of May. He's 2-3 with a 2.93 ERA, 1.234 WHIP and 57 strikeouts in 10 starts (58 1/3 innings). The 31-year-old will be a prime trade candidate at the deadline as well as a coveted free agent after the season if he can stay healthy.
The A's may use Chris Bassitt, Sean Nolin, Barry Zito or Arnold Leon in place of Kazmir.
The news isn't quite as good in Washington. The Nationals will be without Werth likely until August after a CT scan revealed two fractures in the outfielder's left wrist, according to Bill Ladson of MLB.com. Werth was hit by a pitch in the hand on May 15 against the San Diego Padres and was placed on the DL the next day with a left wrist contusion.
The Nationals have yet to confirm the news of Werth's CT scan.
This is Werth's second left wrist injury since signing with Washington prior to the 2011 season. In 2012 he suffered a radius fracture when diving for a ball in the outfield and missed 75 games as a result. The 36-year-old was batting just .208/.294/.287 with 17 runs scored, 2 home runs and 12 RBIs in 27 games (119 plate appearances) this season.
Manager Matt Williams will use a combination of Michael Taylor, Clint Robinson and Tyler Moore while Werth recovers.
