A's Choosing Between Former Atlanta Braves, S.F. Giants Prospects to Replace Toro

Jason Burke | Jun 22, 2024

Mar 31, 2024; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; Atlanta Braves batting helmet inside the dugout before game against the Philadelphia Phillies at Citizens Bank Park. Mandatory Credit: Eric Hartline-USA TODAY Sports / Eric Hartline-USA TODAY Sports

Abraham Toro missed the first two games of the series against the Kansas City Royals on Tuesday and Wednesday earlier this week with some right shoulder soreness, then made a pinch-hit appearance on Thursday where he roped a double. On Friday night he was back in the starting lineup for the Oakland A's, going 1-for-3 with a walk. After grounding out in the bottom of the sixth, he was replaced at third base by Tyler Nevin.

A's manager Mark Kotsay told reporters after the game that Toro has a hamstring strain and that "looks like a possible IL stint. We won't know more until Sunday based on imaging and the timeframe for that."

Toro has been the team's leadoff hitter for much of the 2024 season, batting .260 with a .689 OPS. If he were to land on the IL, then Max Schuemann would presumably return to the leadoff spot, where he has been slotted on days that Toro hasn't played.

The big question is which player the A's would call up to take his spot. While Toro is a versatile player, he has spent most of his time at third base this season, followed by the 17 games he's played at second when Zack Gelof has missed time.

The A's have two options in Triple-A Las Vegas, and neither has made their MLB debut: Drew Lugbauer and Armando Alvarez.

Lugbauer spent last season split between Double-A and Triple-A in the Atlanta Braves organization and hit a combined .261 with a .353 OBP and 25 home runs. That said, he played in just 25 games in Triple-A where he hit .225 with a .276 OBP and three home runs in 89 at-bats.

This season Lugbauer, whose swing reminds Stephen Piscotty of his former teammate Matt Olson, has hit .225 with a .295 OBP and 13 homers. Adding the left-hander would give the A's the option to platoon third base in the short-term with Lugbauer and Nevin.

The other option is Alvarez, 29, who spent last season in Triple-A in the San Francisco Giants organization after seven years in the Yankees farm system. This year with Las Vegas he's hitting .311 with a .401 OBP and eight home runs, which is plenty good enough to earn an opportunity. Alvarez was pulled from last night's Aviators game in the top of the eighth and replaced by Lugbauer at third, which could be an indication of which way the A's are leaning.

The A's roster currently sits at 38 according to Roster Resource, so a corresponding 40-man move would not need to be made in order to add either of these options. The A's do have three players on the 60-day IL already that will need a roster spot in the coming weeks (Paul Blackburn, Alex Wood, and Darrel Hernaiz), but that's a problem for later.

One other option could be having Nick Allen return to Oakland since he is already on the 40-man, and sliding Schuemann to third. This would potentially keep both Alvarez and Lugbauer around past the trade deadline, which will be a time when the team could have more playing time to give some guys a shot, depending on what moves the team decides to make at the end of July.