The Oakland Athletics designated veteran outfielder Ramón Laureano for assignment on Saturday as part of a series of roster moves. In a corresponding move, the A’s activated outfielder Esteury Ruiz from the injured list.
Laureano, 29, was in the midst of a disappointing season. In 64 games, he’d hit .213/.280/.364 (84 OPS+) with six home runs and eight stolen bases. Those marks were well beneath his career norms entering the year (.251/.324/.444), and were accompanied by career-worst marks in strikeout and hard-hit rate.
Laureano will now be exposed to waivers. It’s possible that he appeals to a contender seeking a cheap, controllable platoon bat to start against left-handed pitching. (He won’t qualify for free agency until winter 2025.) For his career, he’s posted a .790 OPS when granted the platoon advantage. Comparatively, he hasn’t topped a .700 OPS versus righties since 2021.
By virtue of the A’s trading away most of their veteran core in recent winters, Laureano had been elevated to mainstay status.
The A’s also outrighted infielder Tyler Wade to Triple-A, and released catcher Manny Piña. Although the A’s acquired Piña as part of last winter’s Sean Murphy trade, injury limited him to just four games in green and gold.
With Laureano and Piña cleared from the roster, the A’s figure to use Tyler Soderstrom and Shea Langeliers behind the plate and some combination of Ruiz, Tony Kemp, JJ Bleday, and Cody Thomas in the outfield.
Oakland enters Saturday with the worst record in the majors, at 30-80. That puts them on pace to lose 118 games this season. The expansion 1962 New York Mets, for reference, dropped 120 games. The 2003 Detroit Tigers, who CBS Sports chronicled a few years ago, lost 119. In other words, these A’s remain in very, very bad company.
