Athletics call up Daz Cameron, son of former All-Star Mike Cameron
OAKLAND — Daz Cameron rode a recent hot streak in Las Vegas all the way back to the big leagues.
Cameron, the son of former 17-year major league veteran and All-Star Mike Cameron, was promoted to the Athletics roster Wednesday. He replaces Esteury Ruiz, who has been battling a nagging wrist injury and was placed on the 10-day disabled list.
At Triple-A Las Vegas, Cameron was in the midst of a seven-game hitting streak with nine hits. He homered in Tuesday night’s 14-10 loss in Tacoma and was told in the second inning after coming off the field that he was coming out of the game and headed to Oakland.
He was immediately inserted into the starting lineup for Wednesday’s series closer against Colorado, batting eighth and playing left field.
“When I ran into the dugout, (manager) Fran (Riordan) was walking up to me and my teammates came to me with open arms,” Cameron said. “It was a cool thing to see . . . I had no idea. My goal was just to come to the ballpark every day ready to compete.”
Cameron, 27, was batting .307 with 15 doubles, two triples, six home runs, 27 RBI and a 1.001 OPS in 41 games with Las Vegas. He is among the league leaders in extra-base hits (23) and slugging percentage (.577).
A right-handed batter, Cameron was signed to a minor-league contract in November and was a non-roster invitee in the spring. He played in 73 games with the Detroit Tigers from 2020-22, hitting .201 in 73 games.
Mike Cameron played for the Chicago White Sox, Cincinnati, Seattle, the New York Mets, San Diego, Miami, Boston and Florida. He was a 2001 All-Star with Seattle, hitting 25 home runs with 110 RBIs and had 278 homers and 968 RBIs in his career. Mike Cameron once hit four home runs in a game for Seattle in 2002.
Cameron spent last season with Triple-A Norfolk in the Baltimore organization, hitting .268 with 16 home runs and 67 RBIs.
Ruiz originally hurt his elbow while attempting a diving catch against Miami on May 4. Optioned on April 1 after being a starter last season as a rookie and leading the major leagues with 67 stolen bases, Ruiz has struggled in a part-time role.
In 29 games, Ruiz is hitting .200 with two homers and eight RBIs. He has five stolen bases and has been caught four times.