A’s have position battles as Opening Day looms

MESA, Ariz. — As spring training neared last month, the A’s were still searching for many answers to roster questions, with little solidified in their bullpen and no everyday shortstop in sight.

A flurry of trades and signings around the start of spring training put together much of the A’s offseason puzzle. With Elvis Andrus, Sergio Romo, Adam Kolarek and Trevor Rosenthal on board now, the A’s are looking almost complete.

But with a week and a half until Opening Day, three roster spots and roles remain in question. Let’s take a look.

Fifth starter — Mike Fiers, 35, was the presumed heir to the fifth rotation spot. But a lingering back and hip injury that required an MRI has kept him out of Cactus League play all spring and essentially put him out of contention to start the year in the rotation. The A’s have plenty of options to back him up, though.

A.J. Puk hasn’t thrown more than two innings in a game since 2017; he got up to three innings in two spring training outings last March before his shoulder injury cropped up again. It’s notable, then, that Puk’s next step is to throw three-ups (or face three batters in a simulated inning) this week. He went two-ups with 39 pitches in his last simulated outing before pitching 1.2 long innings on Monday.

“We’re building him up,” pitching coach Scott Emerson said on Saturday. “I can’t remember the last time we’ve taken him out three times. See how he feels each and every time. I can’t remember the last time we’ve taken him three-ups. Each and every time he goes out there ... the next day is always important and his feedback is always important. That’s the same approach we’re taking with him, one day at a time and seeing what he tells us.”

Puk, 25, would be an ideal candidate to slide into the fifth rotation spot, or at least that’s how manager Bob Melvin and the coaching staff put it. Barring health and considering pitch count as the A’s bring him along cautiously, it’s plausible that Puk won’t be ready for the rotation and may start the year out of the bullpen. He’s only appeared in two spring training games, on schedule to appear in three, before the season begins.

If Puk isn’t fully ramped up to start in the rotation when the season begins, Daulton Jefferies and Cole Irvin look to be next up to start a game or two in the first weeks of the regular season.

In four outings, including two starts, this spring, Jefferies has given up just two runs (on two home runs) with 13 strikeouts and three walks. Getting a better handle on his slider has been a key development for the 25-year-old righthander with a mid-90s fastball and nice change

up.

Irvin is quietly having a stellar spring, too. The 27-year-old lefthanded pitcher acquired from the Philadelphia Phillies this year is being built up as a starter.

He’s allowed just two runs in 12 innings, which include two starts in four appearances. He has eight strikeouts and one walk this spring. Don’t count him out.

Outfield platoon — The A’s outfield is pretty heavy on right-handed hitters. Ramón Laureano, Mark Canha and Stephen Piscotty are the decided regulars who go with an A’s roster always in need for some lefthanded bat help.

That’s why the A’s took Ka’ai Tom in the Rule 5 draft this offseason. He’s an undersized outfielder who couldn’t quite crack the Cleveland Indians roster despite a .280 average with a .912 OPS between the organization’s Double-A and Triple-A teams.

As a left-handed batter, an outfield roster spot is Tom’s to lose.

The 26-year-old Tom missed the first few weeks of camp and Cactus League dealing with an oblique injury, but made up for lost time quickly once he returned. Tom is 8-for-16 with a home run, a triple, two doubles and two walks in five games this spring.

Tom is one of the few left-handedhitting or switch-hitting outfielders who remain in camp after Skye Bolt, Greg Diechmann and Luis Barrera were optioned last week. Seth Brown is the lone lefty-hitting outfielder left besides Tom, but he hasn’t gotten consistent playing time. He has a .190 average in 21 at-bats this spring over 16 games.

But Brown’s lack of playing time might have more to do with the A’s staff ’s effort to jam-pack more atbats and reps in the outfield. A Rule 5 pick is taken with the hope he’ll stick. Tom’s all-fields approach and sneaky power profiles him as a quintessential A’s hitter undervalued by his previous team.

“For a little guy he’s got some juice in his bat, and that shows up in batting practice right away,” Melvin said Monday. “He can hit any number of balls into right field, and just looking at him you probably wouldn’t suspect that. It’s getting more familiar with his defense. He can play all three — at some point in time we’ll stick him in center.”

Backup catcher — Sean Murphy is the starting catcher. But his delayed start to camp after undergoing surgery on a collapsed lung this winter may force the A’s to slow his roll into the regular season. The backup catcher, for a second year in a row, will have an elevated role to start the year.

Aramís Garcia, acquired from the Rangers in the Andrus-Khris Davis deal, could be first in line. He’s known for his defensive skills behind the plate, with the hope that his bat can catch up.

“More than anything we’re looking at his at-bats, because he can catch,” Melvin said last week.

He showed solid pitch framing abilities in his time with the San Francisco Giants. In 2019, he converted 53.2% of 293 non-swing pitches into called strikes in the Shadow Zone, or the border of the strike zone.

The 28-year-old has looked solid at the plate. He’s batting 6-for-18 in eight games this spring. In 37 big league games, he’s collected a .229 average with a .689 OPS, including six home runs, six walks and 52 strikeouts in 105 at-bats.

If the A’s want another left-handed bat in the mix, they may bring Austin Allen onto the 26-man roster instead. Allen has the stronger bat with weaker defensive capabilities.

As Murphy eased his way back from knee surgery last year, Allen, 27, started nine of the A’s first 28 games to fill the gaps. With prospect Jonah Heim (since traded to the Rangers) on his way up, Allen didn’t get much playing time, though. He hit .194 with a double and a home run in 31 at-bats. This spring, he’s 4for-17 with a home run off Josh Hader.