OAKLAND – Travis Buck reappeared in the A's clubhouse Tuesday night. He was smiling wide. He laughed easily. His head was clear.
Don't underestimate the significance of that last detail.
"As much as I hate to say it, something like this had to happen," Buck said Tuesday before making his first appearance in the A's lineup since June 11. "Most guys go through the minors, and they have a year where they really struggle, and a lot of things don't go right.
"It hadn't happened to me. And it happened to happen to me in a year where I was up here. So to get through it, I proved a lot to myself, and it's only going to help me."
Buck was recalled from the River Cats on Tuesday – missing Sacramento's one-game showdown that they won 4-1 over New York Yankees affiliate Scranton Wilkes-Barre (Pa.) for the Triple-A championship.
But Buck contributed heavily to the A's 8-1 victory over the Angels at McAfee Coliseum, going 2 for 4, getting hit by a pitch with the bases loaded for one of his two RBIs and stealing a base.
He hit sixth, manned right field and likely will get a significant look during the A's final 12 games. Yet, it's not so much what Buck does with the final two weeks of the A's season that will leave a lasting impression entering 2009 as what he has endured in 2008.
"I'm looking forward to seeing him play," A's manager Bob Geren said. "He had a lot of time off, and when he came back, he played well and helped Sacramento win the (Pacific Coast League) championship.
"He had a rough start this year, but that's behind him."
Well, a rough start and a rough middle. Buck's travails started with an 0-for-5, two-strikeout night in the A's opener vs. the Boston Red Sox in Tokyo. Soon 0 for 5 morphed into 0 for 22, and his season snowballed from there. He went on the disabled list with shin splints April 19 after a 10-for-65 (.154) start and was sent to Sacramento after being activated May 8. Three weeks later, he was recalled and went 7 for 41 (.170) before being sent out again.
However, Buck said his mind is free and clear of such thoughts these days. But even more important, it's clear of the post-concussion syndrome symptoms he endured after a running into a railing on the outfield wall at Raley Field in June.
Buck missed three weeks after that incident, returned to play 16 games, then went back on the disabled list when he developed vertigo.
He said he spent more than a couple weeks unable to get out of bed.
"It's the scariest thing I've ever had," he said. "That's when I was at the point where I wasn't dealing with the rest of my career but with the rest of my life."
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