A’s roster moves: Major Shakeup as Clarke, Davidson, Others Promoted

Best way to stop a losing streak is to switch things up, right?

The A’s let the news slip late last night but we have final confirmation. The organization is set to promote one of their prized prospects to the major leagues as outfielder Denzel Clarke has gotten the call. That wasn’t the only move the team made today as they’re adding a total of five new players to the roster:

While Clarke is the biggest name infielder Logan Davidson is a notable name in his own right as well. Joining those two on their way to the majors are infielder CJ Alexander, catcher Willie MacIver, and left-handed pitcher Jacob Lopez.

Clarke will immediately take over as the starting center fielder for JJ Bleday, who found himself on the other side of the roster moves today and getting optioned to Triple-A. It’s a disappointing development for the left-handed center fielder, who seemed poised to break out after a solid season last year. Instead he’s hitting just .204 and will now try to find his swing again with the Aviators, where he won’t have the high-intensity pressure of the majors on him. Clarke should provide an immediate boost to the outfield defense and hopefully a spark to the rest of the club.

Alexander meanwhile will take the place of third baseman Gio Urshela, who was placed on the IL with a hamstring strain he suffered in yesterday’s defeat. The 28-year-old Alexander has hit .252/.348/.509 with 10 long balls for the Aviators this year. Claimed at the tail end of last season from the Kansas City Royals the lefty swinger should provide more versatility than Urshela, who can almost exclusively play third base. He’s already made his big league debut but he’s ready for his Athletics debut now and could see some fairly significant playing time, depending on how much third base Miguel Andujar plays.

The club also swapped out Davidson for longtime Athletic Seth Brown, who now finds himself in DFA limbo after hitting just .192 and playing sparingly. Davidson, a former 1st-round pick by the A’s back in 2019. It’s been a slow but steady climb up through the minors and he’s now earned his first shot in the majors after hitting a great .303/.452/.428 with a pair of home runs. He also provides flexibility in the infield to Mark Kotsay but he’s gotten most of his action this year at first and second base.

On the pitching front the A’s are recalling left-hander Jacob Lopez to make tonight’s start. The 27-year-old has a chance to stick in the rotation but he’ll have to earn it starting tonight against the Phillies. To make room for him the club optioned right-handed reliever Carlos Duran back to Triple-A. The rookie made his big league debut in last nights contest, getting tuned to for three runs while recording just one out. He’ll now return to Vegas and wait for his next opportunity.

And finally, the club will swap out backup catchers, going to Willie MacIver after seeing Jhonny Pereda struggle hard in limited action. The longtime Rockies prospect has been tearing the cover off the ball for the Aviators, slashing .389/.469/.548 with a pair of long balls. It’s not a major change with Shea Langeliers playing most days but an upgrade is an upgrade.

As a formality the team transferred second baseman Zack Gelof to the 60-day IL, freeing up a 40-man roster spot for the team. This is just a formality after the young infielder suffered a setback during his rehab. Nothing has changed but it’s now certain we won’t see him suit up in the Green & Gold anytime soon.