FanHouse Wes Bankston

As I've noted over the last few years here since I began writing at FanHouse, the Oakland Athletics sure do suffer a lot of injuries. Last season it seemed like everybody on the roster spent some time on the disabled list, and so far in 2008 it's been a lot of the same. That's why I'm hoping when the A's finally move to Fremont and build a new stadium, they build some kind of bubble around it so nobody gets hurt.

One thing I know they won't be putting in the new park is a pool, because the last thing they'll need is Daric Barton diving in and nearly breaking his neck again.

The A's rookie first baseman dived into a shallow pool and struck his head during the All-Star break, and has a stiff neck and six staples on the crown of his head as a result. His neck was worse after batting practice Friday, so the A's recalled Wes Bankston before Saturday's game to take Barton's roster spot.

Barton, 22, knows that such accidents can lead to paralysis or even fatalities, and said he felt fortunate to escape with minor injuries. Barton called it "a stupid mistake," and added, "I've got to take full responsibility for it and deal with the consequences."

Team lifeguard manager Bob Geren wasn't too pleased with his rookie's antics, and considering that Bankston his .294 during a nine-game stint with the club earlier this month, there's a possibility that Barton (who is only hitting .224) may end up losing his job over this.

Oakland Athletics third baseman Eric Chavez missed the first two months of the 2008 season thanks to surgery he had on his shoulder last November, and now after playing in 23 games for the A's, Chavez's shoulder has put him back on the disabled list.

"It's frustrating," said Chavez. "I just want to get to the point where I can get out there and know I can be a productive player, and right now I'm not."

In the press release announcing the Chavez move, the A's said his right shoulder surgery in November 2007 was "to repair a torn labrum." Chavez, 30, said the surgery "didn't fix anything."

"They just went in and cleaned it up. Nothing was repaired."

The signs that Eric was going to be placed back on the DL have been apparent since the weekend when Chavez sat out the A's entire series against the Giants. He played in the first two games of the Angels series, but did so as a designated hitter since hitting doesn't hurt his shoulder nearly as much as throwing.

Whether or not Chavez is going to need to undergo another surgery isn't known yet, but he did undergo an MRI on it earlier today. Obviously, if he has to go back under the knife, his 2008 campaign is over. The team has called up first baseman Wes Bankston from Sacramento to take Eric's place on the roster.