Chad Bradford's back troubles flared up in late February, which led Oakland to order an MRI. After consulting several doctors, Bradford underwent surgery to repair a herniated disc in his lower back yesterday. Doctors estimate he will need at least three to four months to recover from the procedure, so the A's are not planning on having him back before June.

After reportedly ignoring a pain in his side for two days, Oakland catching prospect Daric Barton underwent an emergency appendectomy on February 27th. The A's plan to have him resume participating in some Spring Training activities later this week. While his activity over the next few weeks likely will be somewhat restricted, this incident probably will not substantially interrupt his progress through the minors this season.