A’s roster moves: Soderstrom recalled, Hernaiz to IL
Bido and Lucas recalled as well
The Athletics made a series of roster moves this morning just hours before Wednesday’s double header:
The Oakland A’s recalled C/1B Tyler Soderstrom from Triple-A Las Vegas, selected LHP Easton Lucas from Las Vegas and added RHP Osvaldo Bido from Las Vegas as the 27th man for the doubleheader against Texas. The A’s also placed INF Darell Hernaiz on the 10-day IL with a left…
— Oakland A's Communications (@AthleticsPR) May 8, 2024
This will be Soderstrom’s first stint with the club this year after beginning the season in Triple-A. One of Oakland’s top position player prospects, Soderstrom will be hoping this go with the club will go better than his first cup of coffee last season.
Soderstrom was recalled (along with second baseman Zack Gelof) coming out of the All-Star break last season. While Gelof thrived with the Athletics, Soderstrom struggled in his first taste of the big leagues. In 45 games he only hit .160 but at least swatted his first three home runs. Soderstrom will be hoping this promotion sticks and he can claim a regular role but that’ll be up to him and how well he adjusts to major league pitching.
Where the left-handed Soderstrom play is still TBD. Starting catcher Shea Langeliers is second on the team with seven long balls but is also hitting just .179 on the season. First base is a possibility as well, where he could form a platoon with the righty-swinging JD Davis. We should get some idea during today’s double header about how they plan to utilize Soderstrom.
In discouraging but expected news, shortstop Darell Hernaiz will indeed go on the IL after twisting his ankle in yesterday’s loss. It could be a few weeks before we see Hernaiz back on the field, perhaps not until June. Until then it seems like Max Schuemann will handle shortstop duties since he replaced Hernaiz immediately after the injury. It says a lot about how the team feels about Nick Allen that they didn’t bring him back up to replace Hernaiz.
The team also recalled right-hander Osvaldo Bido to be the 27th man for today’s double header. Bido is slated to start the second game in what will be his first major league appearance of the season.
The right-handed Bido has been the Aviators’ best pitcher so far this season, tossing 31 1⁄3 inning with a 2.59 ERA. An impressive line considering the hitter-friendly environment he’s been pitching in. Having already made his big league debut last year with the Pittsburgh Pirates, Bido could potentially earn a longer look in Oakland with rookie right-hander Joe Boyle on the IL.
The other player joining the club is reliever Easton Lucas. Acquired last year from the Baltimore Orioles for Shintaro Fujinami, the right-handed Lucas made his big league debut with the A’s in September but struggled in six appearances. He’ll be hoping for better results in his second stint with the A’s this go around.
To make room on the roster, the club demoted left-hander Hogan Harris back to Triple-A. Harris saved the bullpen yesterday after starting pitcher Ross Stripling couldn’t make it through two innings. Harris tossed 5 1⁄3 innings and kept the rest of the relievers fresh for the double header today. It was much-needed for the squad but with Harris likely unavailable for the next few days the writing was on the wall that Harris would be heading back to Vegas. This won’t be the last we see of Harris with the big league club this year.
And finally, to clear space on the 40-man roster the club designated right-hander Alex Speas for assignment. Speas pitched in 9 games for the Aviators but things didn’t go well as he allowed 13 runs in just 10 1⁄3 innings. Speas will now be available to all teams on the waiver wire and he may be claimed.