Chris Roycroft’s run with the Rays was short, and it’s already over.
Tampa Bay designated the right-hander for assignment on Aug. 23 to create room on the 40-man roster for Manuel Rodriguez, who was being activated from the 60-day injured list. Two days later, Roycroft has landed with the Athletics after being claimed off waivers, according to Ryan Bass on X.
That makes the Athletics the third organization Roycroft will be with in 2026. He opened the season with the St.
Louis Cardinals before Tampa Bay picked him up in a trade about two months ago, sending a player to be named later or cash considerations back to St. Louis for the right-hander.
Roycroft spent the last few weeks bouncing between Triple-A Durham and the majors, and the Rays called him up three times before cutting him loose to make space for Rodriguez. Tampa Bay clearly needed the roster spot, but Roycroft also hadn’t done enough to force the club to keep him around.
His numbers with the Rays tell that story. In 11 appearances covering 19.1 innings, he posted a 6.52 ERA. His stint with the Cardinals was even rougher: seven appearances, 5.1 innings, and a 15.19 ERA.
At Triple-A this season, splitting time between Memphis and Durham, Roycroft was more usable, turning in a 5.02 ERA over 28.2 innings. That’s the version the Athletics will try to tap into now, especially with his 50% ground ball rate with Tampa Bay.
The rest of the profile comes with some warning signs. Roycroft’s strikeout rate sat at 16.3%, and he gave up plenty of contact, much of it hard.
He allowed six home runs with the Rays and two more during his time in St. Louis.
To clear a spot on their own 40-man roster, the Athletics moved shortstop Jacob Wilson to the 60-day injured list, which effectively ends his 2026 season. Wilson is dealing with shoulder issues and was not expected to return this year anyway.
For Tampa Bay, the move is another sign that the pitching staff is getting healthier, and that the roster squeeze is only going to get tighter from here.
In Other News...
As Evaluation Mode Just Put These Fringe Players Under Pressure
With injuries thinning the roster and the season turning into a long evaluation of who might fit next, the Athletics have spent plenty of time sorting through the edges of the depth chart. Henry Bolte, Jack Perkins and Donovan Walton are all part of that conversation, each for different reasons. Bolte has flashed enough as an outfielder to keep the organization interested, Perkins can miss bats well enough to tease real upside, and Walton has continued to put together a credible case with the bat.
The catch is that none of them has made the decision easy. Boltes production has come and gone, Perkins has shown strikeout ability but not the kind of consistency that settles a role, and Walton is still trying to turn his hitting into something that sticks on a roster under constant scrutiny. For a club in evaluation mode, that means every look carries extra weight, and every uneven stretch makes the next question harder to answer. [Read more 🡒]
A's Top Prospect Suddenly Faces A Big Development Concern
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Now the picture has shifted. De Vries was placed on the Double-A injured list because of a sore right shoulder, and the concern is significant enough that it may close the book on his regular season in the minors. There is still a possible path to game action in the Arizona Fall League if he is healthy enough by then, but for now the priority is simply getting his throwing arm back to where it needs to be. [Read more 🡒]
A's Keep Getting What They Need From Bolte Except Where It Counts
Henry Bolte has given the Athletics plenty to like this month, and Sundays loss to the Twins was another reminder of how quickly he is becoming part of the conversation in Oakland. The rookie has been swinging it well in August and continues to stand out as one of the clubs more encouraging young pieces, exactly the kind of player manager Mark Kotsay has pointed to as part of the groups future.
What Oakland could not get, though, was enough help behind him to turn that promise into a win. The bullpen let Minnesota build and extend its lead, leaving the As to chase the game late before a ninth-inning rally fell short in a 9-6 defeat. For a team trying to find out which parts of the rebuild can travel with it, Bolte keeps checking important boxes, but the rest of the roster still has to match that pace. [Read more 🡒]