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Athletics prospect Addison Russell will miss at least a month after tearing his hamstring, according to Yahoo Sports' Jeff Passan. The 20-year-old shortstop had been playing for the A's Double-A affiliate in Sacramento.
Russell appeared in many top 10 prospect lists heading into the season, and is by far the Athletics top minor leaguer.
He reached Triple-A last season at age 19, but wasn't expected to see much, if any, major league action in 2014.
In 768 minor league plate appearances over six levels, Russell hit .306/.392/.536 with 25 home runs and 38 stolen bases. Many talent evaluators see him as a future All Star, and project him to stick at shortstop, which could make him an extremely valuable asset for Oakland in the near future.
The A's are currently using Jed Lowrie at shortstop in the majors, but he will be a free agent after the season. The club added Nick Punto on a two-year deal this offseason as well. He should be useful in a utility role in 2015, but Russell could still make a case for the everyday spot. The hamstring injury is a setback, but unless it becomes a chronic issue, Russell should be back in action later this year.