Jarrod Parker’s injury casts pall over A’s camp

“You just feel awful for him,” catcher Stephen Vogt said two days after Parker’s latest injury and one day after the pitcher was diagnosed with another elbow fracture.

Whether he tries to pitch again or doesn’t, the bigger focus for the team is Parker’s well-being in the wake of two Tommy John surgeries and two fractures of the medial epicondyle in the elbow.

“You feel for Jarrod first and foremost,” A’s executive vice president of baseball operations Billy Beane said.

Asked to comment on precautions the A’s took during Parker’s comeback bids, Beane said, It’s been a pretty conservative process, outlined by people who do that for a living.

Vogt, a team spokesman of sorts who usually offers the right words on all matters, couldn’t come up with much to say to Parker.

Vogt and teammates took to social media to express themselves, and manager Bob Melvin said Saturday that Parker has been in his mind nonstop.

Parker, who received a $2.1 million signing bonus from the Diamondbacks out of high school and will make $1.8 million in the majors through this season (his salary is $850,000), last pitched in the big leagues in Game 3 of the 2013 Division Series in Detroit.

Vogt was the catcher that day and hadn’t caught him again until catching a couple of his bullpen sessions in this year’s spring training.

The sloppy A’s were charged with five errors, three wild pitches, four unearned runs “and at least three other miscues,” according to manager Bob Melvin. ...

In an ugly fourth inning, left fielder Jake Smolinski and third baseman Matt Chapman made errors, and Daniel Coulombe and Eduard Santos surrendered six runs.

After struggling early last season (8.27 ERA in four starts before being shipped to Triple-A), he wants to start strong.

DH Stephen Vogt hit a two-run homer and is slated to catch Monday against the Giants, his first defensive assignment.