A’s Designate Fox for Assignment

The Oakland A’s designated utility player Jake Fox on Sunday. Fox, who came to the A’s in the offseason via trade with the Cubs, had been hitting just .214/.264/.327 with 2 home runs and 12 RBIs in 39 games. Fox never really got going this season for the A’s, simply because there was nowhere to put him. Eric Chavez carried most of the DH load, and the infield was rounded out by Daric Barton and Kevin Kouzmanoff.

Fox came highly regarded by Cubs fans, and many A’s fans were excited about Fox’s power potential. Last season with Chicago, Fox belted 11 home runs in just 216 at-bats. He played in 82 games and drove in 44 runs while hitting .259/.311/.468. This season, however, did not pan out the way many A’s fans had envisioned. Fox never really got a chance to prove his worth, and played second-fiddle to Chavez at DH and received a couple of rare starts behind the plate.

But despite his slow start, the A’s hope Fox does in fact, clear waivers. Fox does bring a lot of versatility to the team, and can play several positions. Fox can share time at DH with Jack Cust or could give one of the corner infielders some time off. It all depends, however, if Fox makes it through waivers. But for right now, the A’s-Fox relationship is over.