Who are These Guys?: Breaking Down the 2022 Oakland Athletics Opening Day Roster
- James Carroll
- Apr 7, 2022
- 20 min read
It’s opening day, and the Oakland Athletics have a whole new cast of players to introduce for the 2022 season.
In case you do not happen to be a masochist and have ignored the fire sale over the course of the last few weeks, the A’s are going for a different look this year as they recalibrate the window that matches up a winning A’s team with a beautiful new ballpark.
For many fans, it may be quite daunting to figure out the who’s who of this new team. And for the rest of those fans, it may be even harder to come up with something to look forward to when it comes to each of the 28 players on this year’s opening day roster.
Lucky for you, we here at Uprooted have done both of those things in this tome of an article.
Before continuing, there are some notes that should be emphasized:
The Oakland A’s did no favor in clarifying who even made the opening day roster. They ended up being one of the last teams to publicly announce who made the team, taking an additional five hours after the league deadline to submit.
Not included in this breakdown are any players opening the season on the Injured List or Suspended List. There had to be cuts somewhere.
Some liberties had to be taken to stretch the positivity in some of these “reasons to be excited.” I promise that there was an effort to try and find something.
Without further ado, here are your 2022 Oakland Athletics:
Starting Pitchers
Frankie Montas
With Sean Manaea being dealt to San Diego, Frankie Montas becomes the undisputed ace of the Oakland A’s rotation to start the year. For how long that remains will be a storyline that follows the team until the trade deadline, when the front-of-the-line starter is likely going to be auctioned off to the highest bidder. The good news for fans who have become numbed to the watered-down goodbye and thank you posts from the A’s social media is that Montas could find himself as the prize of the trade deadline, so expect a haul back for him.
Reason to be excited: Aside from the fact that fans will get to watch him with the green and gold for at least a couple more starts, Montas had possibly the best second half of any pitcher in the league last season. In his last 14 starts, Montas went 5-2 with a 2.17 ERA, 1.035 WHIP, and 102 strikeouts in 87 innings pitched.
Cole Irvin
Just a year ago, Cole Irvin was merely a pleasant surprise coming out of Spring Training, where he earned his way into the A’s starting rotation. Drafted by the Philadelphia Phillies in 2016, the lefty was able to exceed any reasonable expectations the A’s had when they initially acquired him, leading the league in starts for the year—although he also led the league in losses. A third of those losses came from the Seattle Mariners alone. After some provocative comments made toward the club, Irvin proceeded to go 0-5 with an 8.69 ERA and .384 opponent average. Ouch.
Reason to be excited: The Oakland A’s don’t face the Seattle Mariners 162 times this year, which means that Cole Irvin may be spared. Fans will be seeing a lot of Cole Irvin from start to finish this year, and he may benefit from a fresh start after nearly hitting 200 innings pitched last season. Irvin saw his most success in the first half of the year before his ERA ballooned. And, hey, he was in the 89th percentile in limiting free passes. What more could you want from your number two guy?
Daulton Jefferies
A’s manager Mark Kotsay confirmed Tuesday that Daulton Jefferies' third start in the majors would be as the number three starter to open the season. The #14 ranked prospect in Oakland’s system saw limited action in the big leagues last season, but pitched well enough to have his name thrown into the conversation for the rotation this year. Jefferies has had a rough spring, but, thanks to very thin pitching depth to start the year, he’ll be thrown into the fire where he can hopefully prove himself to be serviceable for his age-26 season.
Reason to be excited: There’s upside to almost any 26-year-old prospect being given a shot at the big leagues, but for Jefferies, it will be interesting to see if he can hold his own as a fixture in the rotation or if he will have to settle for a role in the bullpen for the latter half of the season. Jefferies posted a 2.70 ERA in very limited innings at the Coliseum and saw his numbers improve from one month to the next. With a couple more games to knock away the jitters, Jefferies could manage to finish the season in the middle of the rotation.
Paul Blackburn
In 2016, a 23-year-old Paul Blackburn surprised many when he posted a 3.22 ERA across ten starts. Unfortunately, Blackburn has not seen that kind of success since then, logging under 40 major league innings each year since. He’s made starts for the A’s in each of the past five seasons, but this will be his first time he’s broken the club in April.
Reason to be excited: Someone’s gotta pitch, and Paul Blackburn is willing to do it, I’d assume. After some digging, it seems Blackburn posted a 3.38 ERA last year during day games and there surely should be some more of those this year. Also, he wears #58, which is the same number as Justin Duchscherer, a former two-time All Star. That’s fun.
Relief Pitchers
A.J. Puk
It seemed like it was not too long ago when A’s fans were dreaming of coming into a season where Jesus Luzardo and A.J. Puk may be the 1A and 1B starters in the rotation. That dream didn’t exactly pan out and was abandoned at the end of last season when Luzardo was dealt to the Miami Marlins, but Puk is still around and vying to contribute to the rotation. The concern with Puk is quite clear and has been since his college days: he just can’t seem to stay healthy. Puk has only amassed 22 appearances since 2019. Possibly even more concerning is that he’s only started in eight minor league games over the course of the last three seasons. Still, Kotsay has made sure to do what he can to stretch Puk out as a potential starter for the 2022 campaign.
Reason to be excited: It’s one of the most overused “if’s” in sports, but if A.J. Puk can stay healthy for some portion of the season, the A’s at the very least could have a legitimate lefty flamethrower coming out of the bullpen. Despite the limited action, Puk has been able to maintain his high K/9 numbers and still possesses the kind of overpowering stuff that keeps some of the Randy Johnson comparisons on life support.
Adam Oller
One of two players acquired in the Chris Bassitt deal with the New York Mets last month, Adam Oller has been through a more tumultuous road to get to the big leagues. He was drafted in 2016 by the Pittsburgh Pirates and released in 2018 after never receiving as much as an invite to Spring Training. He contemplated his future in baseball during short stints with the Giants’ organization and independent ball, all the while juggling two jobs a season—a substitute teacher, Home Depot worker, bartender, valet parker. After being selected by the New York Mets in the 2020 Rule 5 Draft, Oller saw some success in Double-A and Triple-A, combining for a 9-4 record, 3.45 ERA, and 138 strikeouts in 120 innings.
Reason to be excited: The story itself is inspiring enough to be excited for the guy, especially now that he’s made the opening day roster and may quickly be given opportunities in the rotation. Oller, 27, believes that the best is yet to come. A key shift in pitch mix this year—specifically, utilizing his fastball which tops out at 96 mph—could turn out key for the righty, who was advised by Mets staff to lean more heavily on his breaking pitches. Could this be another case of Mets leading a player astray and the A’s capitalizing on giving that same player an opportunity? It wouldn’t be the first time.
Kirby Snead
One of four players acquired from the Toronto Blue Jays for Matt Chapman, Kirby Snead saw limited time with the big-league club last season, but posted a 2.35 ERA in seven relief appearances. He features a four-pitch mix while throwing his slider almost half the time. He’s progressed well from one year to the next, keeping virtually the same numbers before making a leap in keeping runners off the base-paths in Triple-A in 2021.
Reason to be excited: The long-haired lefty struck out 64 batters in 47.2 innings between Triple-A and the majors last season and could wind up being one half of a two-headed lefty monster with AJ Puk, who profiles similarly. Having dependable lefty options would be a nice change of pace for this ball-club.
Domingo Acevedo
There seemed to be quite a bit to be excited about when it came to Domingo Acevedo last season. He struck out 53 batters in just 32.2 innings while pitching out of relief for the Las Vegas Aviators, all while posting a 2.48 ERA. In 11 innings with Oakland, Acevedo had mostly favorable results, still striking out batters and still missing bats.
Reason to be excited: It was a mixed bag for Acevedo this spring, but that can be said for a lot of players being rushed into the shortened Cactus League. Still, Acevedo gets a shot to pitch most of the season with the major league club this year. Though he throws his four-seamer over half the time, his slider will be the pitch to watch this year; he had batters whiffing on that pitch 58% of the time he through it last year.
Sam Moll
When you think of players returning to the A’s for the first time in an extended period of time, you might not think of Sam Moll, but he indeed falls into that category. The third lefty of the A’s bullpen comes into his age-30 season with an opportunity to become a sort-of-LOOGY. Moll has essentially been a journeyman since he parted ways with the A’s after the 2017 season, seeing time in multiple different farm systems across the league. He’s got a two-pitch mix between his fastball/sinker and slider. He finds his way back to the A’s after the front office parted ways with one of John Fisher’s favorite prospects, Cash Considerations.
Reason to be excited: If this was 2017, or any season where there was no three-batter minimum, Moll could be pretty serviceable. He has no problem picking apart left=handed batters and racks up plenty of strikeouts with him fastball-slider combination. He had an excellent spring, putting up a 1.59 ERA, 0.882 WHIP, with 9 strikeouts in 5.2 innings pitched. He’ll have to be used in the right spots, but he could turn out to be a dependable lefty arm when roles shift throughout the season.
Dany Jiménez
Keeping the theme of returning A’s players is Dany Jiménez. Oh, you don’t remember him either? That’s because he was a Rule 5 selection picked up from the Toronto Blue Jays before the beginning last year and was returned after just three appearances in the Cactus League. Jiménez has been drafted via the Rule 5 Draft and returned to the Blue Jays twice in his career, but was most recently picked up by the A’s as a free agent. Now 28, Jiménez is locked into a contract fresh off of his first year of free agency, so the A’s do not have to necessarily keep him on their major league roster for the entire year.
Reason to be excited: Why did the A’s decide to give him another whirl? They clearly liked him the first time around, but it is obvious that their interest was only confirmed last year after an exceptional year in Triple-A. Jiménez pitched to the tune of a 2.22 ERA with 73 strikeouts in 44.2 innings. That isn’t a typo—he struck out 39% of batters he faced and posted a 14.7 K/9.
Zach Jackson
Another reliever picked up through the Rule 5 draft—though this time the minor league portion—is Zach Jackson, who was in the A’s minor league system last year. He immediately asserted himself in Double-A, posting a 0.55 ERA with 34 strikeouts in just 16.1 innings before being moved up to Triple-A. There, his numbers came back to earth, but it he was still apparently being considered for a second call-up before an ill-timed hip injury stopped him.
Reason to be excited: Another pitcher who looked pretty good in the spring, Jackson brings a mid-90’s fastball with a late-breaking curveball. It’s still difficult to make out exactly what kind of pitcher he profiles as, but he could wind up striking out quite a few batters if his sequencing holds up.
Jacob Lemoine
Continuing with relievers doubling as non-roster-invites to Spring Training, Jacob Lemoine finds his way to the green and gold after spending his entire professional career thus far with the Texas Rangers. He is yet to make his major league debut and there are some concerns to be had about his low strikeout percentage and almost-equal walk percentage.
Reason to be excited: The right-hander had a solid 2021 season with Triple-A Round Rock last year, logging a 2.86 ERA and 1.25 WHIP in 56.2 innings pitched, including a start. In the minors, he has done a relatively good job of leaving runners on base, but it will be important that he’s not the one putting himself in those situations this season if he wants to stick on the roster.
Justin Grimm
With plenty of spots to fill in the bullpen this year, the Oakland A’s were more than happy to take a flyer on Justin Grimm. Grimm made his major league debut back in 2012 with the Texas Rangers and eventually saw his best years from 2014 to 2016 with the Chicago Cubs. His power fastball and ability to keep the ball in the park while with Chicago proved to be valuable, as he recorded three saves and 36 holds while only blowing four leads. Unfortunately, we’re more than half a decade from Justin Grimm bringing a world championship to the lovable losers, and his fastball velocity sits much softer than it did back then.
Reason to be excited: Sure, Grimm is not the same pitcher he was back in Chicago. But the most interesting thing about him might be his profile as a Triple-A pitcher last season with Seattle. He gave up a lot of home runs, 11 in just 47.1 innings pitched. But also uncharacteristic to the rest of his career, Grimm struck out 72 batters in that same span. That’s a 13.69 K/9, which translates to a third of the batters he faced striking out. His FIP suggests that he may not have entirely figured it out, but if the wind is blowing in on a cold night at the Coliseum, he could get some outs.
Lou Trivino
The A’s closer, for the time being, will be the same as last season, and it’ll be Sweet Lou Trivino. Trivino had an excellent rookie season, regressed in 2019, adopted a five-week steak and egg diet to rekindle his magic, impressed in the shortened Covid season, and then nicely filled the shoes of departed closer Liam Hendriks last season. So long as the A’s don’t lean toward a worst-case-scenario 100-loss season, Trivino should get a steady diet of save situations in one-run games this year.
Reason to be excited: The truth is that Lou Trivino will more than likely be on the trading block as the weather heats up—he’s arbitration eligible starting next offseason. The good news: Trivino has seen the most success prior to the All-Star Break in each season he’s pitched professionally. Last year, pre-All-Star, Trivino had a 1.84 ERA, 1.16 WHIP, 41 strikeouts, and 14 saves. That’s good news for trade fodder.
Catchers
Sean Murphy
Arguably the most anticipated player on the Oakland A’s roster this season will be the perennial gold glove candidate backstop Sean Murphy. After a torrid spring, Murphy is threatening to breakout as a legitimate power hitter. There’s a lot to look forward to for Sean Murphy this year, especially if he can cement his health status enough to be a career-long catcher. With several catching prospects waiting in the wings, Murphy may not be part of the long-term plans for Oakland’s front office, but, in the immediate future, he’ll be hitting in the heart of the order as much as possible this season.
Reason to be excited: As MLB continues its quest to implant the brilliance of Joe West into a robotic, strike-calling umpire hybrid, Sean Murphy will be the last of a dying breed of catchers with excellent framing rates—he ranks in the 82nd percentile there. On the slugging side, Murphy could see an uptick in his home run total. Last season, he hit in the upper portion across the league in hard hit percentage, barrel percentage, and near the top ten in maximum exit velocity. In layman’s terms, he’s been hitting the cover off of the baseball, and if he keeps doing it he could find himself being one of the very best catchers in the league this season.
Stephen Vogt
One of the two turn-back-the-clock signings made in the last few weeks to offset the emotional turmoil of offloading the faces of the franchise, Stephen Vogt returns to the green and gold for the first time since 2017. The two-time all-star is without a doubt a fan favorite, and his walk-off hit in the bottom of the ninth of a 0-0 Game 2 of the 2013 ALDS is one of the best playoff moments in the last two decades. Nostalgia aside, Vogt only hit .167 and managed a 29 wRC+ last season in 26 games which isn’t great. But considering he kicked around the idea of retirement this offseason as he awaited another shot at suiting up, it’s good to have him back, even if it isn’t 2013 anymore.
Reason to be excited: Vogt could have a Chris Davis level slump that extends the entire year and it would not negate the reason that the A’s signed him for this season. He’s here because he’s a clubhouse guy and the ideal veteran to have around for a slew of younger players looking to put it together this season. Stephen Vogt was even credited, to some degree, for his influence on a young Atlanta Braves team that ended up winning the World Series. Does that mean that we might see Nick Allen hitting a walk-off home run in Game 7 of the World Series this year? I’m not saying it’s completely out of the range of possibilities.
Austin Allen
Only accruing 40 plate appearances, fans have not exactly seen a whole lot of Austin Allen. The lefty backstop finds himself out of options heading into the 2022 campaign and may have a shortened leash since the signing of Stephen Vogt. It’s hard to say where that leaves Allen, who was acquired from the San Diego Padres for Jurickson Profar in 2019.
Reason to be excited: For one, he isn’t Jurickson Profar, which earns him points (the A’s did land Buddy Reed as the player to be named later in that deal, by the way). Allen is still only 27 and could conceivably still make strides in his development. He hit .317 with 20 home runs in 72 games with the Aviators last year and he did technically hit a home run in 12.5% of plate appearances in the majors last year. The only problem is that he only stepped into the box eight times.
Infielders
Sheldon Neuse
A waiver claim reunion, Sheldon Neuse landed on quite a few fans’ radars this spring with a slightly tweaked swing and some serious power displays. He can play a variety of positions—third base, second base, outfield—though he has not seemed to play exceptionally anywhere. In the Spring Training finale, Neuse got some time at first base which might indicate where he can find himself on the lineup card going into the season, but that remains to be seen.
Reason to be excited: Expectations are virtually nonexistent for a waiver claim on a 27-year-old who hasn’t found his footing in the majors just yet. It’s still hard to make out what kind of hitter Neuse is at the major league level—he had significant reverse-splits last season and struggled mightily against lefties—but he’s mashed in Triple-A for multiple teams. The eye-ball test on some of his home run swings this spring says he looks a lot like Mark Canha, which would be an excellent outcome. Regardless of his season, Neuse by name alone may find himself a cult following.
Kevin Smith
If there was not already enough pressure staying afloat in the big leagues, filling in at the hot corner for Matt Chapman should do the trick. Kevin Smith will likely, and probably unfairly, be compared against Chapman as a result of the recent trade with the Toronto Blue Jays. He’s only had a cup of coffee in the majors but had what many consider to be a bounce-back 2021 season in Triple-A, where he hit .285 with 21 home runs, 27 doubles, 69 RBI, and 18 stolen bases. He is defensively sound and offers some positional versatility, potentially, but should see the bulk of third base responsibilities this season.
Reason to be excited: With the way that the Matt Chapman deal materialized, Kevin Smith profiles more as a throw-in than anything else. That being said, he had an impressive shortened spring that seems to carry over some of the success that he had last season after having been inconsistent in the lower minors. Much of this can be attributed, apparently, to some tinkering to his swing last year that has him feeling comfortable and balanced at the plate. It’ll be an uphill battle for him, but he might end up surprising some fans.
Elvis Andrus
There’s still a part of me that thinks that when Elvis Andrus’ tenure with the A’s is all over, it’s going to looked back upon as a fever dream. Did that really happen? Did he really replace Marcus Semien? Did he really break his fibula rounding third as the game-winning run in a real game that happened in Oakland? At the end of the day, he played 146 games last season and likely salvaged a bad Khris Davis contract, but if there was a player that elicited pure apathy, this would probably be the guy on the roster for me.
Reason to be excited: You know what’s exciting? Closely keeping track of plate appearance totals for the season to see if a player option vests for the following year. Andrus’ contract is set up so that he’ll get $15 million in 2023 if he accrues 550 plate appearances in 2022 (for reference, he had 541 plate appearances in 2021). The A’s are going to do their best to stop that number from getting close, whether it be rolling Chad Pinder out at short, forcing Neuse into the lineup and “giving the veteran some time off,” or by calling up gold glove lock Nick Allen.
Jed Lowrie
It just would not feel like Oakland A’s baseball if Jed Lowrie somehow didn’t find his way back with the club. Lowrie, of course, came back to the A’s last season after accumulating in only eight plate appearances for the New York Mets, who kindly donated $25 million in exchange for refusing to allow him to get career-rejuvenating knee surgery. Lowrie came out in the first few months of 2021 vastly exceeded expectations, but cooled off mightily in the second half of the season, likely due to a hairline fracture in his right hand. The 38-year-old may not play much second base this season, but he will likely find his way into the lineup either as a designated hitter or in an experimental role at first base.
Reason to be excited: Jed Lowrie might have some of the best peripheral stats on the team from last year that not only reflect that he still has a great approach at the plate, but that he may have mostly been unlucky last year. His expected numbers—slugging, on base, batting average—were all much higher than his actual numbers, reflecting that he could have potentially been even better last season. Yes, he’s a year older, but a combination of his veteran presence, model approach to hitting, and ability this year to hide some range issues over at first base could make this a solid fit.
Tony Kemp
There are few players as universally liked as Tony Kemp, who quietly put together a 3.4 WAR season last year. His .279/.382/.418 line may not be especially eye-catching, but were each career bests. Kemp logged 131 games last season, the majority of which were at second base. He offers speed, versatility, durability, and leadership to a team that could wind up being pretty malleable.
Reason to be excited: More likely than not, Tony Kemp will be leading off ballgames for the Oakland A’s throughout the season. Though he split that role with Mark Canha last season, Kemp does a lot of things right in the batters’ box. His strikeout percentage, walk percentage, whiff percentage, and chase rate are all excellent when compared to the rest of the league. If 2021 was, indeed, a breakout year for him, then 2022 could wind up looking very promising.
Outfielders
Chad Pinder
The longest-tenured position player still with the Oakland Athletics is Chad Pinder, the super utilityman who felt more like an odd man out in the last few seasons. A combination of injuries and lack of positional openings limited Pinder to just 75 games last season, where he had average numbers across the board. Now, with positions being more in flux that past years, Pinder could find himself as an everyday player somewhere on the field. With a noticeably depleted outfield thanks to the departures of Mark Canha and Starling Marte, Pinder will see the bulk of his time in one of the corner spots flanking Pache, at least until Ramón Laureano returns.
Reason to be excited: Pinder has always felt like an Oakland A with the way that he plays. His positional versatility could be a big help this year and getting more consistent plate appearances could go a long way when it comes to putting up more balanced numbers. Oh, and he hits the ever-loving snot out of the ball when he makes good contact—so there’s a chance that he’ll hit some souvenirs into the *checks notes* $40 nosebleeds.
Cristian Pache
Landing Matt Olson was not going to be cheap for the Atlanta Braves, and, as part of the deal, they would have to part ways with a top prospect in the form of Cristian Pache. Pache, 23, slots in as the #4 prospect in the Oakland A’s system this year, but will be manning the center field position likely for years to come. Scouts universally love his glove, and he was given a rare 80-grade fielding tool based on assessments. His excellent speed paired with gold glove defense automatically will make him a fan favorite, but the question still remains if he can manage to hit enough to stay in the lineup consistently.
Reason to be excited: You do not have to look back too far to find an Oakland A’s team that had a rough season salvaged in the form of a silver-lining, gold glove defender. Pache slots into that role perfectly. A combination of Pache and Ramón Laureano in the outfield—regardless of how many games that actually happens—will be exciting to watch this season. Pache has plenty of raw tools that could gradually take him to the next level, and he will have plenty of opportunities throughout the 2022 campaign.
Billy McKinney
Drafted out of high school by Oakland in the first round of the 2013 MLB Draft, Billy McKinney returns to where it all started. McKinney, who is now 27, never saw time in Oakland as he was quickly shipped off to the Chicago Cubs as part of the Jeff Samardzija trade in 2014 and then traded again to the Yankees in 2016 for Aroldis Chapman. He had a promising enough rookie year in 2018 when he split time between the Yankees and Blue Jays, but has failed to capitalize since then, becoming quite the journeyman despite his age. He profiles as an above-average defensive outfield who may get some playing time at first base.
Reason to be excited: McKinney is still conceivably entering his prime years as a professional and had a good enough spring that showed some pop in his bat and won him a spot on the 40-man roster. It may end up being difficult for McKinney to survive the next roster crunch with players returning from injury and suspension, but he’ll be worth a look. If that doesn’t do it for you, then he could be included in another blockbuster trade package to continue his trend.
Seth Brown
I’m not sure how many fans would have guessed that Seth Brown would play in 111 games last season, but he did—and he ended up being a net positive. Your prototypical three-true-outcome hitter, Brown hit 20 home runs while batting .214 last season with 23 walks and 89 strikeouts. This season, he more than likely will graduate from the role of a pinch hitter to a starting outfielder. Brown will get his opportunity to play this season, but there is a good chance that we may seem some long streaks of bad to go along with the good. He has struck out almost half of his Spring Training plate appearances this year.
Reason to be excited: Could Seth Brown hit 40 home runs this year? He might just try. There is a lot to like about Brown’s game beyond his absurd power—he plays a decent enough outfield, reads the ball well, and has above-average speed for a slugger of his caliber. He still hits righties significantly better than he does lefties, but more consistent playing time could even those numbers out. And besides all of that, A’s fans will desperately be clamoring for the void of a beautiful left-handed home run swing to be filled.
Skye Bolt
Everyone’s favorite Las Vegas sympathizer, Skye Bolt is back after posting a .088 batting average and negative OPS+. Unfortunately for him, he’s out of minor league options, so his chances of playing for his beloved Las Vegas fans may be in jeopardy.
Reason to be excited: For every “Kevin Smith,” you need a “Skye Bolt.” Great name. But a quick history check reveals that Bolt, who switched to #11 this coming season, doesn’t even have the coolest name out of the 66 A’s players who wore the number; that honor, in my humble opinion, belongs to Sugar Cain of the 1934 Philadelphia Athletics.
Stephen Piscotty
Another feel-good story, the Pleasanton-native Stephen Piscotty came over from the St. Louis Cardinals as the result of a trade that was made to have Piscotty move closer to home to be around his ailing mother, Gretchen, who tragically died of ALS later that year. His charitable endeavors in the form of the ALS CURE Project serves as one of the more meaningful gestures in baseball today. With Piscotty facing a $15 million club option next season, it is likely that this will be his last season with the club.
Reason to be excited: Piscotty has had a lackluster last three seasons, hitting just .237 across 210 games. He comes into the regular season battling the all-too-familiar injury bug, but could find himself in a position to still contribute as a veteran pinch hitter and extra outfielder when the team calls for it.
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