The Oakland Athletics made a variety of roster moves Friday afternoon to take advantage of the expansion of Major League Baseball rosters. On September 1, rosters expand to 40 players, which allows teams to call up various prospects if they so choose. Prospects can benefit from getting some late season playing time, but also can benefit simply by being in a big league environment.
The A’s are taking advantage of this by calling up several players from Triple-A Sacramento. They promoted infielder Adam Rosales, outfielder Michael Taylor, and pitchers Michael Wuertz and Andrew Carignan. Taylor and Carignan will both be making their debut on a major league roster.
The A’s acquired Michael Taylor from the Philadelphia Phillies in a three-team trade involving the Toronto Blue Jays. Taylor is considered a masher and a long term middle of the order option for the A’s. He struggled a bit last year with only six home runs, but has bounced back with 16 home runs and a line of .272/.360/.456. The A’s are looking for him to take hold of an outfield job next spring.
The A’s drafted Andrew Carignan in the fifth round of the 2007 MLB Draft. Carignan appeared stalled out at single Stockton in 2009 and 2010, but 2011 saw him climb from Single-A Stockton to Double-A Midland to Triple-A Sacramento. In 33 games across the three levels, Carignan is 1-0 with a 1.85 ERA and 46 strikeouts over 39 innings.