A’s Matt Chapman getting back into the swing of things after surgeries

MESA, Ariz. — After thumb and shoulder surgeries this winter, A’s third baseman Matt Chapman said he had some trepidation about the recovery process.

“Every time you have surgery there’s always that thought about whether you’re going to be the same or whether you’ll be able to get back to where you want to be as fast as you can,” Chapman said Tuesday after taking live practice on the field for the first time since the procedures. “A couple of weeks ago, I was nervous trying to do that, and now it’s way past that.”

Chapman said that right after the surgeries, his left (non-throwing) shoulder was achy in the morning and took awhile to get going, but now he has no issues with it. He’s being brought along slowly, however.