NewsHairston may have to pull plug on season
A's outfielder's two-month battle with pain is catching up
By Mychael Urban / MLB.com
09/22/09 9:20 PM ET
OAKLAND -- By A's outfielder Scott Hairston's estimation, he's been playing in pain since July. On Tuesday, he stopped just short of saying enough is enough. Currently sidelined by a swelling in his hip and a related back problem, he suggested he could very well be done for the year. "At some point, you've gotta know when to stop," he said. "And right now, I'm stopped. I've gone as far as I can go." Hairston, who was removed from Monday's loss in the opener of a four-game series against the visiting Rangers at Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum, said there wasn't a specific play that caused his most recent health issue. In fact, he's all but certain that everything he's been dealing with is somehow tied to the left quad strain he's been battling since shortly after being acquired in a trade with the Padres on July 5. "It all roots back to that," he said in the A's clubhouse before batting practice on Tuesday. "I've been playing through things for the past couple of months, and it started with the quad. It's kind of frustrating. ... Everything's connected." Mired in a 20-for-102 (.190) slump over his past 26 games, Hairston is batting .236 in 60 games with Oakland after batting .299 in 56 games with San Diego. A's manager Bob Geren said Hairston is "day-to-day," but his next day in the lineup doesn't appear to be anywhere on the immediate horizon. "A lot of people are hurting this time of year. It's just the nature of the game, and you're conditioned to play through it," said Hairston, who went in for an MRI on Tuesday. "But I've gotta listen to my body this time, and the next time I go through something, I'll have learned my lesson."Mychael Urban is a national writer for MLB.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.
