Oakland A's roster cuts trims big league camp to 53 players

Adding to this morning's roster cuts, the Oakland Athletics sent rostered relievers Eury De La Rosa and Chad Smith, and non-roster invitees Matt Buschmann, Alden Carrithers, and Niuman Romero to minor league camp. The A's also confirmed that Bruce Maxwell had been reassigned to minor league camp, as reported by Susan Slusser this morning. Including two players on the 60-day disabled list, the A's now have 53 players in big league camp.

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The A's picked up left-handed relief pitcher Eury De La Rosa, 25, in December from the Arizona Diamondbacks for cash considerations. De La Rosa pitched 36⅔ innings for Arizona last season, posting a 2.95 ERA and 3.49 FIP while striking out 32 and walking 14.

This spring, he had pitched four innings, striking out five and walking one while allowing four hits and two earned runs. De La Rosa was unlikely to make the roster given Sean Doolittle, Eric O'Flaherty, and Fernando Abad were ahead of him on the depth chart. This will be De La Rosa's final option year.

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Chad Smith, 25, is a right-handed reliever the A's picked up in a waiver claim from the Detroit Tigers after right-handed reliever Taylor Thompson was placed on the 60-day disabled list near the start of spring training. Smith made 10 appearances for the Tigers last season, striking out nine batters and walking three over 11⅔ innings on his way to a 5.40 ERA and 3.47 FIP.

In spring camp, Smith made three appearances, striking out three batters and walking none, while conceding just one earned run in three innings. Smith has two option years remaining.

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Non-roster starting pitcher Matt Buschmann, 31, was drafted by the San Diego Padres in the 15th round of the 2006 draft. This will be his second year in the Oakland organization. He made three appearances this spring, striking out three, walking two, and allowing no runs in 3⅓ innings.

Infielder Alden Carrithers, 30, was drafted in the 15th round of the 2008 draft by the Detroit Tigers. This will be his second season with Oakland, and he has the distinction of completing every season with more walks than strikeouts. Last year he spent most of his time at third base in Triple-A Sacramento, waiting for Josh Donaldson and someone else to get injured. He has yet to make his major league debut. This spring Carrithers appeared in five games and made six plate appearances, going 2-for-5 with two doubles, one walk, one strikeout, and one run.

Infielder Niuman Romero, 30, was signed as an international free agent from Venezuela in 2002 by the Cleveland Indians. His last appearance at the major league level was in 2010. Last season he played for Baltimore's Double-A team. This spring, Romero appeared in six games and made nine plate appearances, going 1-for-8 with a walk and a strikeout.