ANAHEIM, Calif. (AP) -Huston Street is back for the Oakland Athletics – just don’t expect him to close out games just yet.
Street, the 2005 AL Rookie of the Year, was activated Monday by the A’s after the closer missed 63 games because of irritation in his right ulnar nerve.
Oakland manager Bob Geren said Street would be eased back into the pitching mix, with Alan Embree continuing to close.
“I plan to use Huston the first few games in kind of a sixth-, seventh-, eighth-inning type of role until he gets a few innings under his belt,” Geren said before Oakland’s game against the Angels. “Ideally, I’d like to get him back into the closer role, but he’s pitched one inning in seven or eight weeks.
“So in fairness to him and Alan and the team, I’m going to stick with Alan as the closer for the short term.”
The Athletics designated outfielder Bobby Kielty for assignment to make room on their roster.
Street, 23, went on the disabled list May 13. He was 2-1 with a 2.50 ERA and nine saves in 18 appearances before he was sidelined.
He struck out two and allowed one hit in one inning of a rehab start last Saturday at Triple-A Sacramento.
Embree has 10 saves, two shy of Rick Honeycutt’s 1989 Oakland record for left-handers.
Kielty was batting .200 with three RBIs in 13 games for the A’s this season. He was on the DL with a strained left calf from April 29 to July 8.
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