The Athletics are making another infield shuffle as they keep piecing their roster back together.
Tyler Soderstrom is set to return from the injured list after being sidelined a couple of weeks with hip impingement, and the move to clear room for him is a notable one: Max Muncy has been optioned to Triple-A Las Vegas.
Muncy opened the season as the A’s third baseman, but his time in the majors this go-round has been uneven. The team’s decision appears tied to both sides of the ball.
He has had trouble at the plate, and his defense has been a bigger problem. With Zack Gelof and Joshua Kuroda-Grauer both looking better at third base, the A’s chose to go in a different direction.
Joshua Kuroda-Grauer’s arrival may have been the turning point. He has handled multiple infield spots and has produced well offensively, giving the club another option while the roster has been in flux.
The A’s injury situation has been a major factor in their slide to fourth place in the American League West, but the group is finally starting to get healthier. Brent Rooker is out for the rest of the season, while Jacob Wilson and Zack Gelof have already come off the injured list.
That leaves the infield with a different look than the one the A’s started with on Opening Day. Nick Kurtz is the clear starter at first base and is also the starting first baseman for the American League in this summer’s All-Star Game. McNeil is at second, and Wilson is back at shortstop.
Third base is where things get interesting. Gelof has looked strong there, and Kuroda-Grauer needs a place in the mix. That could end up pushing Gelof to the outfield, with Cortes, Thomas and Butler into a DH role.
For now, the A’s are betting that a healthier roster will give them more flexibility and, they hope, a better chance to get back on track. If Muncy sharpens up in Triple-A, a return to the big leagues may not be far off.
In Other News...
As Fans Just Got Another Zack Gelof Injury Scare
Zack Gelof gave Athletics fans another anxious moment during the game against the Tigers, when the left fielder slid for a catch and slammed into the side wall, leaving him with a right knee injury. He stayed in the game at first, but the sight of him going back down later in the inning changed the tone quickly, especially for a club that has already spent too much of this season managing injuries.
Gelof eventually had to be helped off the field by Jeff Collins and Mark Kotsay, a scene that only deepened the concern around an Oakland roster that has been stretched thin. Brent Rookers season-ending left knee injury is already a major blow, and any extended absence for Gelof would add another difficult layer to a season that has not offered much relief on the health front. [Read more 🡒]
A's Fans Won't Love What's Already Happening In Las Vegas
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The pricing helps explain why the seats are going quickly. Those spots carry a $900-per-game tag and a one-time $100,000 personal seat license fee, putting them in the rarefied air of the new $2 billion ballpark. With the stadium set to feature 30,000 fixed seats, 3,000 standing tickets and other premium areas such as the Diamond Club and Dugout Club, the As are building a venue where the most expensive inventory is already drawing plenty of interest. [Read more 🡒]
As Rookie Joshua Kuroda-Grauer Is Already Doing Something Rare
Joshua Kuroda-Grauer has given the Athletics a quick jolt since reaching the majors, carrying over the kind of contact-oriented approach that got him noticed in Triple-A. Through July 8, the rookie was hitting .500 with 15 hits in 30 at-bats, and he has paired that early production with a strikingly low strikeout total in his first eight games.
The opening in Oakland came after Jacob Wilson was hurt, and Kuroda-Grauer has done more than just hold the spot down. He was already batting .352 in Triple-A before the call-up, and the early returns suggest the As may have found a player who can make immediate use of every chance he gets, even as the bigger question is how long this kind of start can last. [Read more 🡒]