A’s shuffle roster again with 7 moves

Time to shake things up again!

The Oakland A’s announced seven roster moves Thursday afternoon, with three players coming up to the majors, three players taken off the active club, and one more cut from the organization entirely:

• RHP Adrian Martinez called up
• IF Vimael Machin called up
• OF Skye Bolt activated from 60-day injured list
• RHP Adam Oller optioned to Triple-A
• OF Cristian Pache optioned to Triple-A
• DH Jed Lowrie placed on 10-day injured list
• LHP Adam Kolarek designated for assignment

That’s a lot of transactions at once! Let’s break them down into some functionally corresponding moves.

The A’s had an open spot in their rotation, after they optioned Jared Koenig down to the minors last weekend. Today they called up Martinez to fill that fifth spot, and he’ll start this evening’s game. To make room on the pitching staff for the addition of Martinez, they sent down a reliever, with Oller drawing the short straw.

Meanwhile, two position players come up to the majors. Machin has spent this season in Triple-A so far and was hitting well for Vegas, while Bolt has been on the injured list all year and is finally ready to return.

To make room for Machin and Bolt on the active 26-man roster, two other hitters had to step back. Pache goes down to Triple-A, while Lowrie heads to the IL with a sprained left shoulder retroactive to June 27.

Both Machin and Bolt also needed spots on the 40-man roster, because Machin had been outrighted off that list shortly before the season began, and Bolt was temporarily off of it while on the 60-day IL. There was already one open spot on the 40-man (after last week’s flurry of moves), so to clear one more, Kolarek was DFA’d.

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Machin spent time with the A’s in each of the past two seasons, but this year he didn’t make the cut out of spring training. He’s kept his bat warm in Triple-A, though, with an impressive average and more walks than strikeouts.

• Machin, AAA: .324/.401/.457, 120 wRC+, 4 HR, 11.3% BB, 10.3% Ks

He was especially hot in June, batting .400 (38-for-95) with 13 extra-base hits, 14 walks, and only 11 strikeouts, all adding up to a four-digit OPS.

Bolt has been swinging well lately too, after a long wait. He missed the beginning of the season to an oblique strain, then started a Triple-A rehab stint in May only to pull a hamstring after three games. He returned to action in the minors on June 15 and crushed the ball for nine games.

• Bolt, latest AAA rehab: .371/.450/.571, 13-for-35, 2 HR, 1 double, 4 BB, 10 Ks, 1 steal

Now he’s finally healthy and done with the rehab process. At age 28, with multiple MLB auditions already under his belt, and out of minor league options, this could be one final chance for Bolt to stick in Oakland.

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Pache got a long leash during his first stint in Oakland, between his excellent defense and his overall prospect potential, but after batting .159/.203/.224 in 68 games he’ll head down to the minors while Bolt gets a chance. Manager Mark Kotsay said the following about Pache, per insider Martin Gallegos:

“I think [Pache is] at a place where he understands who he needs to be as a player to have success and what to do to get back here, which is consistent at-bats and line drives. I think it’s the right time to give him a breather as well.”

Lowrie was hurt a few weeks ago during a game in Cleveland, and has played sparingly since then including only four starts. More details, per Matt Kawahara of the S.F. Chronicle:

Jed Lowrie had an MRI on his left shoulder today, Kotsay said. Said Lowrie “had made a lot of progress from the initial injury in Cleveland” and “as we put him back into the playing environment he felt like he was regressing.”

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Kolarek has bounced between Triple-A and MLB this year, pitching 15 games for the A’s and 11 more for Las Vegas.

• Kolarek, MLB: 4.58 ERA, 17⅔ ip, 9 Ks, 8 BB, 1 HR, 4.71 FIP
• Kolarek, AAA: 5.68 ERA, 12⅔ ip, 12 Ks, 2 BB, 2 HR, 5.06 FIP

His next step will be determined over the next few days, and could include being claimed off waivers by another team, or staying in Oakland’s farm as a non-roster player, or ending up as a free agent.

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Here’s the updated roster: