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Elephant Rumblings: Can Skye Bolt earn a regular spot with the A’s?

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MLB: JUL 17 Athletics at Astros
HOUSTON, TX - JULY 17: Oakland Athletics center fielder Skye Bolt (11) takes off to third base in the top of the second inning during the MLB game between the Oakland Athletics and Houston Astros on July 17, 2022 at Minute Maid Park in Houston, Texas.
Photo by Leslie Plaza Johnson/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images

Happy Monday, Athletics Nation!

The A’s have been bringing the thunder lately. They’re fresh off a series win in Houston that was aided by Skye Bolt, who went 3-for-4 with 3 RBI in the A’s series opening win against the Astros on Friday. He had a nice little four-game hitting streak going before yesterday’s game, which he left early after taking a pitch to the hand.

It’s probably pure coincidence that the A’s rode the lightning yesterday with their second 2022 draft pick, selecting Palo Alto High School outfielder Henry Bolte as the 56th overall pick.

We’ll have to wait awhile to see how young Bolte pans out, but as Matt Kawahara at the San Francisco Chronicle detailed yesterday, the 28-year-old Bolt is making good on his latest big league opportunity after failing to gain traction in previous callups and alienating some fans with a controversial mistweet last year.

Bolt has been consistently great in 152 career games for the AAA Las Vegas Aviators with a .317 average and .945 OPS. Unfortunately, he’s fallen far short of such success in his sporadic MLB stints since 2019:

Bolt, 2019-22 MLB: .140/.171/.243, 14 wRC+, 107 AB, 3 HR, 4 SB, 3.5% BB, 26.5% Ks

Bolt came off the injured list on June 30 and got off to a slow 2-for-22 start, but in five games preceding Sunday’s early exit, he went 6-for-15 with two home runs, including a 425-foot bomb to left center off Astros reliever Seth Martinez on Friday.

As Bolt’s confidence grows, so does that of teammates like Chad Pinder, who said, “I think Skye’s a guy that definitely can establish himself as a big-league, everyday guy.”

I’m sure that many of you are as anxious as I am to see Cristian Pache back with the big league club, but Ramón Laureano is the only current A’s outfielder with an everyday spot solidly locked down. So regardless of Pache’s status, there is definitely room for Bolt if he can keep up his momentum—but first we’ll have to hope this latest injury doesn’t prove too great a setback. Fingers crossed!

A’s Coverage:

MLB News & Interest:

Best of Twitter:

The Blackburn family will be well represented in L.A.

Montas recovery update.

Pache raking in AAA.

Roster moves.

BTV getting some love from Jeff Passan!

Classy gesture—the Astros have been acting like they want to be liked again lately.

Liam Hendriks added to the All-Star squad.

Juicy.

Sick burn!