With Andrus on leave, A's have SS options

ARLINGTON -- With Elvis Andrus away from the club to be with his wife, Cori, for the birth of their third child, the A’s were left with a hole at shortstop that might require some creativity in order to fill.

Oakland recalled infielder Vimael Machín from Triple-A Las Vegas after Andrus was officially placed on the paternity list prior to Saturday’s contest against the Rangers at Globe Life Field. Though Machín has only played four games at short at Triple-A this season, he got the start there Saturday. Another intriguing option for the position could be utilized at some point in the next few days: Matt Chapman.

“We’ll play it day to day,” A’s manager Bob Melvin said. “A lot of different things went into this. Certainly, Machín is a roster guy who has been with us before. He doesn’t have a ton of time at short.

“I would prefer to keep Chapman at third with his workload. We’ll see. This was going to be a day off for Chap, but now it’s not. Machín is playing short today and we’ll see what [Sunday] brings.”

Chapman has one career start at shortstop under his belt, coming last season when he filled in for an injured Marcus Semien. However, the two-time Gold and Platinum Award-winning third baseman was a standout shortstop during his time at El Toro High School in Southern California.

Whether Chapman gets a start at short depends on the availability of utility man Josh Harrison, who is nursing a right quad strain. If Harrison is able to return in the next couple of days, he could fill in at third base while Chapman handles shortstop in the interim until Andrus rejoins the team, which as of now is expected to come on Tuesday during the club’s four-game series in Chicago against the White Sox.