The A's have released some truly head-scratching roster information, with the latest news from Susan Slusser and the Drumbeat:
...the A's are planning to keep both Jake Fox and Eric Patterson on the Opening Day roster, which means that backup catcher Landon Powell and infielder Adam Rosales will be sent out before the start of the season.
That leaves Fox as the backup catcher...
...It also leaves the A's without a true backup shortstop, so Eric Chavez, who play shortstop in high school, will get a couple of innings there today, along with some time at third. He hasn't played either all spring, as he learned his new first base spot; in addition, he wanted to minimize wear on his twice-repaired right shoulder.
He's taken grounders at both spots, though, and he'll get to show that he can handle short in an emergency situation today. Mark Ellis also can play shortstop, the position he played all the way up until the big leagues. His arm, also surgically repaired, couldn't have handled shortstop last year, Ellis told me this morning, but now he can make that throw. He said he has "messed around at short" during workouts this spring, but he's not scheduled to play there at all before the start of the season.
This makes no sense to me! You mean to tell me that the A's want to risk both Chavez (who is likely to re-injure himself even playing exclusively DH, much less at a position he hasn't played in 12 years) and Ellis, who is finally healthy and ready to play his own position (with Gold Glove-caliber defense), not to mention have Cliff Pennington play shortstop every single day just to keep Eric Patterson, who may be able to hit, but can't bunt, can't play defense and if Spring Training was any indication, should be voted "Most Likely To Be Thrown Out On The Basepaths in a Crucial Spot". Have they lost their minds?
I am recapping this game under protest. Here's the lineup:
Patterson CF
Barton 1B
Chavez 3B
Cust DH
Suzuki C
Ellis 2B
Buck LF
Gross RF
Pennington SS
Braden P
