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Oakland A’s call up prospect Ryon Healy, option Billy Burns

The Athletics are beginning to call up their infield prospects.

By Jeremy F. Koo
SiriusXM All-Star Futures Game Photo by Denis Poroy/Getty Images

UPDATE: The full list of moves is:

  • 1B/3B Ryon Healy called up from Triple-A
  • OF Billy Burns optioned to Triple-A (to make room on 25-man roster)
  • RHP Nick Tepesch designated for assignment (to make room on 40-man roster)

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The Oakland Athletics are calling up corner infielder Ryon Healy from Triple-A Nashville, reports Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle and Matthew Feldman, a writer for the Daily Orange (Syracuse, NY). There is no word on corresponding moves to create space on the 25- and 40-man rosters.

Healy has made an incredible run since starting the year repeating Double-A after being the odd man out in Oakland’s infield prospect logjam. After punishing the Texas League, Healy was promoted to Triple-A and hit .318/.362/.505 in 210 plate appearances. Between Double-A Midland and Triple-A Nashville, Healy hit .326/.382/.558 with 14 home runs, 31 walks, and 75 strikeouts in 374 plate appearances.

The breakout minor league campaign led to his selection to the 2016 All-Star Futures Game in San Diego last week, where he went 2-for-3 with a double and a walk as the designated hitter.

In terms of who may go up and down the 25-man roster, the move that would make the fewest waves would be to demote center fielder Billy Burns, who has struggled at the plate (.234/.270/.303) and underperformed expectations on the basepaths. A bigger move that would also open up a lot of playing time for Healy would be a trade of Danny Valencia or Yonder Alonso, but Slusser reports “no rumblings of any deals in the work Friday morning, however things can come together quickly this time of year.”

If it is a Burns demotion, there is still a 40-man move to make, but the player to come off the roster could simply be a player already in Triple-A. The A’s have made moves lately to shore up their pitching depth, including the waiver claim of Nick Tepesch and the brief promotion of prospect Dillon Overton, so a pitcher like Zach Neal could be dropped from the 40-man roster

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