OAKLAND – Athletics replaced a left-handed player with another Tuesday, but the addition of Luis Barrera with Mitch Moreland to the injured list will change the appearance of the line-up when he’s in the game.
Moreland will be on hiatus to calm what the club calls the « inflamed costochondra junction of his left rib ». Barrera, 25, was called off from Triple-A Las Vegas, where he got off to a hot start.
Barrera didn’t start immediately, but A manager Bob Melvin said he would likely be on the field soon and he was excited to see what Barrera could do.
« He’s a really aggressive player. He feels like he can hit anything, » Melvin said in a pre-game video conference. « He’s fearless on the bases. In the outfield he can play all three positions. . . He’s a fantastic hand-eye-ball-to-bat talent. He can hit balls up and down in the zone. It’s about making sure he gets a good punch when he’s here. «
Athletics opened a series of three games against the Houston Astros on Tuesday evening. Sean Manaea (3: 2) takes on Cristian Javier (3: 1).
Barrera found out on Sunday night in Reno that the Las Vegas Aviators were playing a street game. He was pulled after two bats and told him he was on his way to the big leagues.
« I was very surprised and so was my family, » Barrera said in a video conference through an interpreter. « When I told them they started crying, I started crying too. »
While Moreland is more of a station-to-station gamer, Barrera is a slasher who can and will take on the extra base and is likely to be more of a tablecloth than a threat to the home run. In 11 games with Las Vegas, Barrera hit .349 with two home runs and seven RBIs.
« I’ve been impressed with him for a couple of sources, » said Melvin. « I told him before we left that I expected him to play in the big leagues this year and that he would be here. A special day for him, but I’m not sure about usage yet. » </ P "I was proud Bob told me that," Barrera said. "It made me think all my hard work is paying off."
The A’s start playing for 16 consecutive days – all against opponents of the American League West. Barrera could appear on any of the three outer fields.
In particular, if the A see more right-handers, Barrera could get some bats in Ramon Laureano’s position against right-handers. Laureano beats .186 with a base percentage of .269 against right-handed and .347 with a base percentage of .396 against left-handed.
Barrera, who was de-registered from the Dominican Republic in 2012 at the age of 16, rose to join the organization in 2016 but was slowed down by shoulder surgery from which he fully recovered in 2020.
According to MLB.com, Barrera is the seventh place interested in athletics in the minor leagues. In 449 games among minors, Barrera is a .282 hitter with 73 doubles, 38 triples, 23 home runs and 190 RBIs in eight seasons.
Moreland, who had played 23 games on certain and five to Matt Olson’s relief on first base, scored .237 with four home runs and 15 RBIs in 31 games. His absence could go beyond the 10-day minimum.
« We’re going to pull back until we swing in the cage. This is something you definitely don’t want to hurt again, » Melvin said. « I really have no idea about his schedule. »
Chad Pinder made his second start on the shortstop on Tuesday night since he was removed from the injured list. Getty Images
For the second time since his return, Chad Pinder will start on the shortstop instead of Elvis Andrus. Melvin said there are no set formulas for when Pinder will play briefly.
« On certain days Elvis will be there and on certain days he won’t, » said Melvin. “Today is one of them. We’ll look at matchups, profile pitching, and so on. I want to make sure these two guys get time to play. For Elvis, it’s more of a day off than anything else. It might even help him get some constant days off over the season. »
– Left handed starter Jesus Luzardo (broken hand) has dropped a flat floor and could be doing a bullpen session within the next three days. Melvin said the A’s would then have a better idea of his return flight date.
« He had a big smile on his face today, he’s feeling good, I know he’s excited to come back, » said Melvin.
« Depends on what you would consider a sock toss, » Melvin said. “He started throwing socks today, which he was very happy about because he actually had to throw something. Today was day 1 of this development. »
Melvin said he missed Yermin Mercedes’ 3-0 home run against a Chicago White Sox positional player against the Minnesota Twins by 15-4. Tony La Russa, the former A manager who controls the White Sox, described Mercedes’ home run as a « big mistake » – apparently as a violation of the unwritten rules of the game.
Melvin wasn’t on the side but said he wasn’t sure these ancient codes even exist in baseball today.
On the subject of matching items
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Preview of the A’s Astros series: Both teams are hot, but who has the advantage?
Oakland A’s will be visiting Las Vegas next week to hear the move
Visibly frustrated by the referee, A’s rally to win series against twins
A’s bullpen cannot take the lead as a Twins rally for a 5-4 win
« I’ve tempered my thoughts about unwritten rules and where the line is drawn because I no longer believe that line is really there, » Melvin said.
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