The Oakland A’s activated catcher Josh Phegley from the 7-day concussion disabled list, the team announced Friday. Phegley will take the 25-man roster spot that was vacated Thursday when pitcher Jharel Cotton was optioned to Triple-A Nashville.
Phegley exited the game against the Twins on May 3 after a foul ball hit him square in the mask. Click here for video, courtesy of beat writer Jane Lee. He was placed on the concussion DL the next morning, but now he’s back after missing the minimum number of games possible.
For the time being, the A’s have three catchers, along with Stephen Vogt and Bruce Maxwell. Susan Slusser of the S.F. Chronicle suggests the next expected roster move, which will likely involve pitcher Sean Manaea returning from the DL for his next start on Sunday or (more likely) Monday.
Hot takes: Nothing much to see here. Phegley was ready to come off the DL, so he did. That’s the kind of sizzling take you can only get here at Athletics Nation.
The real result of this will be that Bruce Maxwell continues to bounce between Nashville and Oakland. Earlier this week, in reference to Phegley’s impending return, Slusser noted that it was “still unlikely [that the] team keeps 3 catchers.” That makes Maxwell a prime candidate to go back down to the minors when Manaea is activated in a few days.