Although injuries are a part of sports, it is always discouraging when an athlete starts to tap into their full potential and figure out how to produce consistently, just to get hurt immediately. Oakland A's prospect Franklin Barreto can definitely relate to the previous as news surfaced yesterday afternoon that MLB.com's 67th prospect will require a splint on his left wrist for three weeks due to a severe bone bruise before heading to Arizona for rehabilitation. 

Barreto, who was signed out of Venezuela by the Toronto Blue Jays as the second ranked international free agent in 2012 and traded to Oakland in a four man package for Josh Donaldson last offseason, suffered ailment when a ground ball shot off the lower part of his left arm when trying to make a play in the field. 

Despite the Blue Jays initially looked smart for dumping the 19-year old due to a horrid month and a half start to the 2015 season (.216 BA and 1 HR), Oakland's number two prospect started his turn around on May 18 with a 3-4, two home run, five RBI day versus the Modesto Nuts that spurred him into a .310 end of May and entirety of June combined average. July would be even better as he crushed California League pitching at a .375 clip with 6 long balls and 14 RBIs in 19 games. In fact, some believe that the shortstop's performance this month was going to earn him a promotion to Double-A in the imminent future considering he had doubled his home run total from 2014 in addition to keeping a very good hitting average for a power hitter.

Unfortunately though his injury has not only taken away a 2015 debut at the Midland Rockhounds but probably August baseball as Stockton Ports' manager Rick Magnante said unoptimistically "Right now, to count on Franklin in the near future is probably not going to be a realistic thought," when asked about the timetable for his return to action. 

If Franklin Barreto does end up missing the rest of the season, there is a high possibility that the A's will send their future at the shortstop position to Arizona Fall League for him to make up for lost time.