A's First Baseman Daric Barton Earns Demotion

Mark Ellis Returns From DL, But Will He Play?

Oakland Athletics second baseman Mark Ellis, on the shelf with a hamstring injury for the last couple of weeks, is set to come off the Disabled List today. Which you might think is a great thing for the last-place A's, but actually creates a small quandary for new manager Bob Melvin.

With Ellis out, rookie Jemile Weeks started all 13 A's games and performed exceptionally well, which doesn't make it easy to immediately bench him in favor of Ellis. Particularly with the A's currently riding a six-game winning streak. They're in last place, but they're close enough to first place that you can, whether you're Billy Beane or (especially) an A's fan, still dream a little bit about October.

Then again, if the A's have any intention of trading Ellis -- Weeks is obviously the club's Second Baseman of the Future -- they'll have to showcase the veteran and just hope he starts hitting. Especially if they want to trade him to the Giants.

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Mark Ellis Reportedly Headed To DL, With Jemile Weeks Coming Up

During Monday's game, Oakland second baseman Mark Ellis injured his hamstring chasing after a pop-up. Ellis has yet to be re-evaluated, but according to reports, he's headed for the disabled list with a right hamstring strain, opening the door for top prospect Jemile Weeks.

Via Joe Stiglich:

But CSNBA reported Monday night that Ellis would go on the disabled list and that second baseman Jemile Weeks, the A's first-round pick in 2008, would be called up from Sacramento for his major league debut.

This is not yet confirmed, but note that Weeks was pulled from his game on Monday night after Ellis got hurt. If Ellis does indeed land on the DL, all signs point to Weeks coming up.

This could prove to be a shot in the arm for a struggling A's ballclub. Ellis remains steady defensively, but he's been godawful at the plate this season, with a .245 OBP and .533 OPS that are well below his usual marks. As for the 24-year-old Weeks, the second baseman has batted .321 with triple-A Sacramento, with limited power but good speed and walks. If Weeks steps in for Ellis, he could provide a contributing bat to a lineup in desperate need of that very thing.

Weeks was drafted 12th overall by the A's in 2008. Interestingly, it appears he's being promoted before Brett Lawrie and Dustin Ackley.

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UPDATE! The A's still haven't officially put Ellis on the DL, but Weeks is in their Tuesday starting lineup, leading off. Quite the honor for a prospect making his debut.

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UPDATE AGAIN! Ellis is officially on the 15-day DL.