Interesting A's roster decision looms

Will someone get squeezed off the A's 40-man roster?

With the demotion of Tyler Soderstrom on Sunday night, the Oakland A's need to add a catcher to the 40-man roster to provide Shea Langeliers with a backup behind the dish. That means that someone could be on the way out. 

As it stands, there are a lot of different ways this could go. The easiest path would be if one of the team's injured players ended up on the 60-day IL, like Luis Medina, who hasn't pitched since March 4. The A's could place him on the IL, retroactive to that date, and then have him be eligible to return around the beginning of May. There's no timeline for Medina to return to action just yet, but even when he's cleared he'll need time to ramp back up in the minors and that will take a few weeks. 

That would be the path of least resistance. 

The same could happen with Aledmys Díaz, Freddy Tarnok or Scott Alexander, all of whom are likely to begin the season on the IL, but their injuries may not necessitate such a long absence at the moment. 

Kyle Muller is out of options, so if he doesn't make the club, then he has to pass through waivers. He has a 4.91 ERA this spring across 11 innings, but most of that damage came in his most recent outing against the Colorado Rockies. He allowed nine hits and six runs (five earned) in three innings, walking one and striking out four. The one big caveat here is that Muller's control has been improved this spring, with him walking just 7.4% of batters. If he makes the club, it'll be out of the bullpen, and he's been more effective in that role. 

The only other player that could be in jeopardy here would be Adrián Martínez, who was optioned to the minors at the beginning of the month, which may suggest that the club doesn't have long-term plans for him. Last season he was used almost exclusively out of the bullpen and held a 4.75 ERA there. The A's have more options this season than they did last year, and that could lead to Martínez being the odd-man out if there is a roster crunch at the end of camp next week. 

There is also the off chance that the front office decides to make a trade before the season begins, moving someone off the 40-man in exchange for a prospect. The Reds could use an outfielder. The Yankees need a third baseman. While the A's don't necessarily fit either of those needs perfectly, it does show that teams will be in search of short-or-long-term solutions to fill a spot due to injury. 

As we mentioned yesterday, the A's could go with Carlos Pérez behind the dish to begin the year like they did in 2023, or they could look to bring in a veteran catcher via trade or waiver claim. Either way, they'll need to add that player to the roster ahead of the season opener.