Athletics plan to activate closer Sean Doolittle on Friday

Manager Bob Melvin said the Oakland Athletics are planning to activate closer Sean Doolittle from the disabled list for Friday's game against the Seattle Mariners. The A's placed Doolittle on the 15-day DL on Aug. 24 with a strained right intercostal muscle.

Manager Bob Melvin said the Oakland Athletics are planning to activate closer Sean Doolittle from the disabled list for Friday's game against the Seattle Mariners, according to Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle.

The A's placed Doolittle on the 15-day DL on Aug. 24 with a strained right intercostal muscle. The lefty has 20 saves with a 2.28 ERA and 80 strikeouts in 55.1 innings this season.

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Utility man Stephen Vogt, though, will not rejoin the team in Seattle. Vogt has a sprained ankle that Melvin described as "pretty significant," but could be ready to play when the team returns to Oakland on Sept. 16.

At the time Doolittle went on the DL, Oakland was tied with the Los Angeles Angels for first place in the American League West. The team is now nine games behind the Angels at 81-64, but holds a 1.5-game lead for the first Wild Card spot.

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