Stephen Vogt is on the mend, but A’s short in catching depth

Mesa, Ariz. -

Reliever Sean Doolittle got a kick out of telling reporters the most clichéd thing he could think of over and over Saturday as A’s pitchers and catchers reported to Hohokam Stadium

“I’m not,” said Vogt, who is three weeks removed from surgery to clean up chips in his right elbow.

Vogt, a major contributor for the A’s, will be somewhat limited for the first few weeks of camp, but he’s already swinging a bat - “dry” swings - and he’ll hit off a tee soon.

Manager Bob Melvin said that Vogt probably will start playing in games the second week of March and get in at least a dozen, so he’ll be a go for Opening Night.

Vogt played in just 15 games last spring while recovering from foot surgery and he still made the All-Star team - and this time around, Vogt noted, he’d at least had a full winter of workouts before having surgery.

Catching depth.

Once again, Vogt and Josh Phegley are the only catchers on the 40-man roster, plus the A’s traded their top catching prospect, Jacob Nottingham, for outfielder Khris Davis earlier in the month.

Despite a concussion that kept Phegley out the final two weeks of the season, Oakland catchers had the highest average (.259) and OPS (.795) in the league and the second most homers (27) and RBIs (98) last eyar.

Bruce Maxwell, who played at Double-A Midland last year, will get a longer look this spring and utility player Matt McBride is in camp as a catcher.

Vogt, meantime, is staying busy, and as always, taking good care of the A’s pitchers…

.[...] even their children.