A’s roster moves: Luis Barrera optioned to Triple-A

The Oakland A’s made a roster move Monday, or at least half of one.

Outfielder Luis Barrera was optioned to Triple-A Las Vegas, the team announced this afternoon. However, they have not yet made a corresponding move to bring up anybody else.

The A’s won’t play again until tomorrow evening, so there’s not a particular rush to fill the roster spot immediately. Presumably we’ll have to wait until tomorrow to find out who it will be. They already have 13 pitchers, which is now the maximum allotment as of today, so they’ll need to call up a position player to replace Barrera.

As for Barrera, he made it into 32 games over the past two months in Oakland. His overall hitting stats graded out slightly subpar, but he had his moments including a walk-off homer against the Angels, plus he showed off the rest of his skill set by stealing a few bases and adding positive value on defense.

• Barrera, MLB: .234/.294/.338, 87 wRC+, 1 HR, 3 SB, 7.1% BB, 20.0% Ks

Although he made his debut last summer, this was the 26-year-old’s first extended stint in the majors, and he posted positive production on both WAR scales. He’ll remain available in Triple-A for the next time the A’s might choose to call him up.

Looking forward, who might get called up tomorrow? Let’s speculate!

There are two outfielders currently on the injured list. Stephen Piscotty, out since early May with a calf strain, is scheduled to begin a minor league rehab assignment on Tuesday, reports Matt Kawahara of the S.F. Chronicle, so it would seem he’s still at least a few days away from returning.

However, Skye Bolt is back in action in Triple-A. He went on the IL at the beginning of the season with a strained oblique, then began rehab in May only to go down again with a strained hamstring, but he started a new rehab assignment last Wednesday. Since then he’s played three games (Wed, Fri, Sun) and gone 5-for-13 at the plate with a double and five strikeouts. If he’s ready to go then it could be him coming up, though it would require an extra move to clear a spot on the 40-man roster since Bolt is on the 60-day IL.

Other possibilities could include infielders like Sheldon Neuse or Kevin Smith, who were both recently sent down to Triple-A. Neuse in particular has torn the cover off the ball in Vegas, batting 21-for-52 (.404) with four homers in a dozen games, earning him Player of the Week honors in the Pacific Coast League last week. Prospect Nick Allen is also hot, batting .365 during the month of June with a .500 OBP and a bunch of extra-base hits. All three of those infielders are already on the 40-man.

Stay tuned for the next roster move tomorrow!