25 Stephen Piscotty RF

Piscotty (side) reports he's now free of any pain and is working through a swing progression, Brodie Brazil of NBC Sports Bay Area reports.

The veteran outfielder was slated to miss the start of the regular season had Opening Day unfolded March 26 as originally scheduled. The extended pause in play has therefore benefited Piscotty, who now confirms he's "fully confident" he'll be at full health whenever the 2020 campaign does begin. Piscotty will cede some starts in right field to the left-handed hitting Robbie Grossman, although to what exact degree remains to be seen.

Piscotty (side) remained without a timetable for his return when spring training was put on pause March 12, Shayna Rubin of The Mercury News reports.

Piscotty described his condition as an "eight-month perpetual cycle of hurt" last week, as the intercostal strain that had prevented him from seeing Cactus League action was preceded by a right knee sprain and right ankle sprain last season that limited him to 93 games. The indefinite suspension of spring training and corresponding delay for Opening Day should certainly benefit Piscotty to a degree, but he likely won't know how much progress he's made until he has a chance to take full-strength swings in batting practice, at minimum. "The mind is spinning on how I'm feeling," Piscotty said. "I'm just trying to trust our trainers and doctors. They'll give me the green light when it's time."

Piscotty has been shut down with an intercostal strain and may not be ready for the start of the regular season, Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle reports.

Piscotty underwent an MRI which revealed that his strain had only gotten worse in recent days. Whether or not he'll have enough time to be ready for the start of the regular season will depend on how quickly he can get back to baseball activity. Some combination of Robbie Grossman, Chad Pinder and Tony Kemp would fill his spot in the lineup if he's forced to miss time.

Piscotty (side) wasn't able to take batting practice Thursday as planned after he was still experiencing "some twinges" in his intercostal muscle, Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle reports.

Piscotty doesn't believe he's dealing with any sort of major setback and hopes to take a round of batting practice "soon." Once he's able to do so without any discomfort, he should be cleared to make his Cactus League debut soon after. With Opening Day still a month away, Piscotty still has enough time to get the plate appearances he needs this spring to avoid a stint on the injured list to begin the season.

Piscotty (side) said he's hopeful that he'll be cleared to take batting practice Thursday, Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle reports.

Piscotty took hacks in the cage for the second straight day Wednesday, so in the absence of any setbacks when he reports back to camp Thursday, he should be able to take the next step forward in his recovery from a strained left side. The 29-year-old should be on track for Opening Day if he gets the green light to play in Cactus League games next week.

Piscotty (side) swung in the batting cage Tuesday and is feeling a bit better, Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle reports.

A left side strain has slowed Piscotty early in camp, and he's not expected to get into game action until this weekend. Assuming he's able to ramp up without setbacks, he'll have plenty of time to be ready by Opening Day.

Piscotty is dealing with a left side strain that will keep him out of game action until at least Saturday, Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle reports.

It's unclear how the injury occurred, but Piscotty said that he won't play until at least Saturday, when the Athletics travel to Vegas to take on the Indians. Assuming the 29-year-old is able to return this weekend or early next week, it wouldn't be surprising to see him ready for Opening Day.

Piscotty is not on the roster for Wednesday's American League Wild Card Game against the Rays, Neil Solondz of the Rays Radio Network reports.

The 28-year-old only made one appearance in the starting nine since returning from a right ankle sprain sustained Aug. 25, and now finds himself excluded from the roster for the wild-card contest. If the Athletics advance past Wednesday's sudden-death game, it's possible Piscotty could be included in the team's plans for the American League Division Series.

Piscotty is starting in right field and batting third Sunday against the Mariners, Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle reports.

Piscotty was activated off the 10-day injured list Thursday, but Sunday will be his first foray into the starting nine. The 28-year-old missed over a month after going down with a right ankle sprain Aug. 25.

Piscotty is not in Saturday's lineup against the Mariners.

He still hasn't logged a plate appearance since being activated from the injured list Thursday, although the hope was that he would see some at-bats over the final two games, so perhaps he will appear off the bench. Ramon Laureano is starting in right field and batting second.

Piscotty, who's yet to log a plate appearance since being activated from the injured list Thursday, is expected to see playing time over the final two games of the regular season, Martin Gallegos of MLB.com reports.

Manager Bob Melvin still has a postseason roster to finalize with the Athletics participating in Wednesday's American League Wild Card Game against the Rays, and one of his big decisions is tied into Piscotty. The veteran outfielder missed significant time with ankle woes, so getting him some time in the field and a handful of at-bats over the final two games would seemingly be a good litmus test for his viability moving forward. "A lot of hard work, determination and pain tolerance went into getting back in this position," Melvin said of Piscotty. "It's nice to have a guy that has been instrumental with this team over the course of the season. As he's shown in his career with us, he gets big hits. That would suggest he does well in the postseason and does have a good track record."

Piscotty isn't in the starting lineup for Friday's game against Seattle.

Piscotty was activated from the 10-day injured list Thursday, but he did not play in Thursday's game. Ramon Laureano will get the nod in right field and hit second.

Piscotty will be activated from the 10-day injured list prior to Thursday's game against the Mariners, Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle reports.

Piscotty was set to run the bases prior to Thursday's matchup, and it appears he checked out OK. He won't start the series opener but will be available off the bench.

Piscotty (ankle) is slated to participate in some baserunning Thursday and is optimistic to return over the weekend, Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle reports.

Piscotty remains on the 10-day injured list due to a right ankle sprain. If he feels good while running the bases Thursday, he may have a chance to see some at-bats during the final weekend of the regular season, per Slusser.

Piscotty (ankle) took batting practice Wednesday and is improving, but manager Bob Melvin isn't sure he'll return this season, Martin Gallegos of MLB.com reports.

The 28-year-old's recovery from a right ankle sprain has been an up-and-down affair since he landed on the injured list Aug. 25, and his status for the final series of the season -- and the potential Wild Card game -- remains up in the air. Per Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle, Piscotty also did some running Wednesday, which was a step in the right direction towards his return to action.

Piscotty's (ankle) progress continues to fluctuate, and manager Bob Melvin remains uncertain as to the outfielder's ability to return before the conclusion of the regular season, John Shea of the San Francisco Chronicle reports. "It's going to go down to the wire, I think," Melvin said. "He still has some challenges. There are certain days he feels good, the next day maybe not as much. We're up against it here with (eight) left."

Piscotty has been fighting to beat the clock before the Sept. 29 regular-season finale, but the Athletics have been steadfast in not rushing the veteran's return to action. Piscotty's ankle issues actually trace back to Aug. 17, when he appeared to suffer the injury on a slide against the Astros. Although he was able to return Aug. 20 following a two-game absence, Piscotty subsequently landed on the injured list five days later after exiting the prior night's game against the Giants with soreness.

Piscotty is dealing with ankle soreness and may not be ready to return before the regular season ends, Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle reports.

Piscotty was able to shed his air cast Saturday and would later take batting practice, but his ankle isn't responding well to activity. Skipper Bob Melvin stated that it might be difficult for Piscotty to return to full strength before the season ends, per Slusser, though a timeline for his return could become more clear within the next few days.

Piscotty (ankle) was able to shed his air cast Saturday and took batting practice before the game against the Rangers, Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle reports.

Piscotty continues to trend upward in his recovery, with Saturday's development the latest example. The recovering outfielder has progressively ramped up his physical activity throughout this past week, and it increasingly appears as if he'll be physically ready for a return at some point before the end of the regular season. Whether the Athletics opt to activate him is another matter, as an official return by Piscotty would effectively cost the team one postseason roster spot if a playoff berth is clinched.

Piscotty (ankle) has ramped up his physical activity in recent days and is increasingly hopeful of a return before the end of the regular season, Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle reports. "It's feeling good, I'm moving around, the swelling has gone down," he told The Chronicle on Friday. "The running has gone really well, I have one more session and we'll assess from there."

Piscotty has been wearing an air cast for the last three days while also hitting, playing catch and running on an anti-gravity treadmill. The uptick in activity certainly implies he's on an upward swing in his recovery, although manager Bob Melvin remains firmly non-committal about whether Piscotty will have enough time to return to full health before the end of the season. If the veteran outfielder is realistically available in advance of a potential Athletics' postseason run, his activation would force Oakland to leave one of either Sean Murphy or Jesus Luzardo off the playoff roster. At this juncture, Luzardo would be most likely be the odd man out, as Murphy would represent the only backup to Josh Phegley in the postseason with Beau Taylor ineligible since he wasn't yet on the roster as of Aug. 31.

Piscotty (ankle) is no longer wearing a walking boot, Martin Gallegos of MLB.com reports.

Piscotty has been on the shelf since Aug. 25 with a sprained right ankle. While this is an encouraging development for the outfielder, he'll likely need to get back up to speed with live reps of some kind before the Athletics feel comfortable returning him from the injured list. Robbie Grossman and Chad Pinder should continue to see time in the outfield while Piscotty remains sidelined.