The A’s received encouraging injury news Monday as manager Bob Melvin told reporters in Seattle that right fielder Josh Reddick won’t require surgery on his fractured left thumb.
Also, right-hander Henderson Alvarez will resume playing catch Tuesday after a setback with his surgically repaired shoulder last week.
Melvin announced in addition that right-hander Zach Neal will be called up from Triple-A Nashville to make his first major league start Wednesday, in place of the injured Sonny Gray.
Reddick said the initial estimate was that he would miss four to six weeks. He saw a hand specialist Monday, and though the exact timetable still is unclear, it’s excellent news for Reddick and the team that he won’t have to go under the knife.