⏩ A’s observations: Oakland roster gaining clarity.
SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. — The A’s appeared to set the positionplayer side of their seasonopening roster with two moves Sunday afternoon.
Infielder Vimael Machin and outfielder Seth Brown were optioned to the minors after Oakland’s game against the Giants. That left the A’s with 13 position players, including Ka’ai Tom, who is poised to make the roster as a backup outfielder.
Tom, selected from Cleveland in the Rule 5 draft, debuted late this spring because of an oblique injury but is hitting .321 in Cactus League play. He started in center field against the Giants and made several rangy catches in the Scottsdale Stadium outfield.
The A’s would have to return Tom to Cleveland if he didn’t make the roster. With Chad Pinder, Tony Kemp and Mitch Moreland on their roster, the A’s can cover all four infield spots. Tom has played all three outfield spots and, like Machin and Brown, hits lefthanded.
Before Sunday’s game, manager Bob Melvin noted Tom had looked “fine in all the outfield spots that we’ve put him. Haven’t really seen any dicey plays, but watching him in drills and so forth, obviously we’re comfortable with his entire game at this point.”
⏩ Still undecided is the A’s fifth rotation spot. Candidate Daulton Jefferies held the Giants to a run in five innings Sunday in his final spring outing, despite atypical shaky command. Jefferies loaded the bases with three walks in the second inning — “Can’t remember a time I ever did that,” he said — but escaped unscathed by striking out LaMonte Wade Jr.
“Arm felt great, obviously I didn’t have my best stuff,” Jefferies said. “I was kind of leaking with the fastball and not being able to convert my slider there, but I battled my butt off.”
Said pitching coach Scott Emerson: “He showed a lot of fight today. To be able to go out there and pitch without his best stuff and get through five, I thought he did a nice job.”
Jefferies struck out 24in 18 innings this spring. Lefthander Cole Irvin posted a 1.00 ERA in 18 innings, and A.J. Puk concluded his spring with four scoreless innings Saturday. One of the three is expected to open the season in the rotation with Mike Fiers (hip inflammation) bound for the injured list.
“Obviously, there’s some analytics that’ll play into it, best matchups per se,” Emerson said. “It’s a great problem to have. We’ve got to make some tough decisions, and that’s always good.”
⏩ The fifthstarter decision appears to be the last facing the A’s, who have 29 players left on the camp roster including Fiers. Oakland could consider carrying a startertype who does not make the rotation as a long reliever in the bullpen, but Melvin has indicated that is unlikely.
Burch Smith would be in line to claim the final bullpen spot, joining Trevor Rosenthal, Jake Diekman, Sergio Romo, Yusmeiro Petit, J.B. Wendelken, Adam Kolarek
Lou Trivino.
⏩ A wild card is the status of Frankie Montas, who exited his last start with a cuticle tear on the middle finger of his pitching hand. Montas is slated to pitch in a simulated game Wednesday in Oakland for his final spring tuneup and to extend his pitch count. The A’s are hopeful Montas will be able to make his first regularseason start.
“So far, the process has been great,” Emerson said. “We’ll see where the finger leads us on Wednesday and … see how that finger reacts to the real ball and no protection.”
⏩ Jesús Luzardo pitched five innings in a simulated game Saturday and is on track to start the second game of the opening series against Houston.
⏩ Matt Olson hit his sixth Cactus League home run of the spring Sunday, off Giants lefthander Sam Selman .It equaled the total number of spring training home runs Olson had in his career before this year.