Oakland A’s activate Chad Pinder, option 3 players to Triple-A

The Oakland A’s activated Chad Pinder from the disabled list on Tuesday, the team announced. They also officially added their two new pitching acquisitions to the 25-man roster. To make room for everyone, they optioned infielder Franklin Barreto and relievers Ryan Dull and J.B. Wendelken to Triple-A Nashville.

It was a brief absence for Pinder, who was in a car accident while the team was playing in Colorado the weekend before last. Everyone involved was OK, but Pinder suffered a laceration on his arm that required stitches. Now that he’s all healed, he can return to action as the A’s super-sub in the outfield and infield.

Pinder, 2018: .259/.332/.453, 116 wRC+, 10 HR, 7.6% BB, 26.7% Ks

Oakland did just fine in Pinder’s absence, at least once they left Denver. They went home and swept the Blue Jays and Tigers in six total games, with a couple off-days mixed in. Now the right-handed batter is back just in time to play the contending Dodgers, who will throw a pair of lefty starters the next two days.

When Pinder went down Barreto came up to replace him, but now the rookie will return to Triple-A where he can get regular playing time. He made it into three games during this stint, including one start and two late-inning appearances, and the start went particularly well — on Wednesday against Marcus Stroman and the Jays he went 3-for-4 with a homer and a double. He did strike out as a pinch-hitter the previous Monday, but overall it was a positive week for the 22-year-old.

Barreto, 2018: .246/.270/.508, 109 wRC+, 4 HR, 1.6% BB, 39.7% Ks

Meanwhile, the pitching staff got a new look thanks to a pair of August trades. The A’s acquired reliever Shawn Kelley from the Nationals on Sunday and starter Mike Fiers from the Tigers on Monday, so two other arms had to clear out to make room. Oakland had temporarily been working with a four-man rotation and nine-man bullpen, so both of the odd men out were relievers.

The first is Dull, who was called up at the end of July. The A’s had just sent down their fifth starter due to a wealth of off-days on the schedule, so the right-hander came up to provide some extra relief depth in the meantime. He only made it into one game, though, retiring the lone batter he faced. He has minor league options remaining, so he’s spent the year bouncing up and down from Triple-A as needed and will presumably continue to do so.

Dull, 2018: 5.89 ERA, 18⅓ ip, 17 Ks, 5 BB, 3 HR, 4.24 FIP

Also heading out is Wendelken, who reached MLB in mid-July for the first time since having Tommy John surgery after the 2016 campaign. The right-hander proved to be serviceable in five outings, and like Dull he’ll wait in Triple-A for the next time a need arises.

Wendelken, 2018: 1.59 ERA, 5⅔ ip, 7 Ks, 4 BB, 1 HR, 5.09 FIP

Here’s the updated roster: