News
Copeland feels for Ankiel after collision
Outfielder recently returned from DL after own crash into wall
By Mychael Urban / MLB.com
05/05/09 11:31 PM ET
OAKLAND -- Ben Copeland joined the A's on Monday, activated from a stint on the disabled list that followed a nasty collision with an outfield wall on March 16.Copeland, a Rule 5 Draftee from the Giants organization, suffered a sprained left shoulder and had to deal with whiplash symptoms for some time.
As such, Cardinals outfielder Rick Ankiel's horrific head-first crash with an outfield wall in St. Louis on Monday hit pretty close to home.
After Copeland's crash, he jogged off the field. Ankiel lay motionless for minutes before being carted off the field wearing a neck brace, spent the night in a local hospital and was released Tuesday morning after X-rays and CT scans of his head, neck and back showed no fractures.
"That was more severe than mine," said Copeland, who batted .182 with a home run and four RBIs in 17 Cactus League games before his injury. "The first thing I thought of was how sore I was the next day, and I can't imagine how he is today. That brought back some bad memories."
Asked if he might be gun-shy the next time he's racing for a ball near the wall, Copeland sounded confident but conceded, "I haven't had to do it yet."
Copeland, 25, bats and throws from the left side. He said he didn't start throwing again until April 7 and remains on a throwing program; he played in three Minor League rehab games, all in center field, and went 6-for-13.
"My arm feels good right now," Copeland said. "I can make all the throws."
As a Rule 5 player, Copeland will have to be offered back to the Giants or somehow retained via trade if he isn't on the 25-man roster or the Major League disabled list all season. He's a .284 career hitter with 37 triples and 72 stolen bases in 416 games in the Minors.
A's manager Bob Geren suggested that Copeland will be used sparingly for the time being, likely as a pinch-runner, and when he appears in a game it will mark his Major League debut.
Mychael Urban is a national writer for MLB.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.
