SEATTLE - Danny Valencia was a late scratch Friday with some neck soreness, manager Bob Melvin said.
Melvin was unsure if Valencia, who is one of the A’s most reliable hitters, would be available off the bench. Valencia had two hits Thursday night and is batting .289 with 17 homers and 51 RBIs, good totals for a player whose time became more limited after the All-Star break.
Matt Olson is now in the lineup playing right field and batting ninth against Seattle’s Taijuan Walker.
The A’s have done a lot of swapping around of outfielders lately, and Valencia wound up in left for the first time this season Tuesday at Anaheim.