The Athletics have added another arm to a bullpen that could use the help, claiming left-hander Connor Thomas off waivers from the Atlanta Braves.
To clear space on the 40-man roster, the A’s will transfer right-hander Mark Leiter Jr. to the 60-day IL.
Thomas, 28, was a fifth-round pick in the 2019 MLB Draft and climbed through the Cardinals and Brewers systems before making his MLB debut in 2025 with Milwaukee. That first big league look went badly, with 12 runs allowed in 5.1 innings, and his time in Atlanta this season wasn’t much cleaner. He threw 6.1 innings for the Braves and gave up 15 earned runs.
But the lefty has also shown something more encouraging in Triple-A Gwinnett. There, he posted a 1.98 ERA over 27.1 innings, and that’s the kind of production that likely made him appealing to Oakland.
The A’s have been working the waiver wire rather than forcing a trade before Monday’s deadline, a reflection of where the club sits right now. Injuries have knocked the season off course, and after looking like a team that was starting to turn the corner, Oakland has slipped to fourth in the AL West. Still, GM David Forst has made it clear he doesn’t feel pressure to make a move just because the deadline is here, since he sees this group as a possible contender next season and doesn’t want to break it up.
That approach has already led to the addition of Scott Blewett from the Cardinals, and Thomas gives them another option with a chance to matter quickly. The A’s are playing in Sutter Health Park now and next season as well, with their stadium in Las Vegas not set to be ready until 2028, so bullpen depth matters even more in the meantime.
Left-handed relief is a real need for Mark Kotsay’s group. Jose Suarez could draw trade interest, Hogan Harris is the only other southpaw in the bullpen, and teams could also call on Harris before Monday’s deadline. Kotsay also likes his lefty-lefty matchups late in games, which gives Thomas a path to a role sooner rather than later.
If the Triple-A version of Thomas shows up, the A’s may have found a useful piece at just the right time.
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