Oakland Athletics Roundup: A’s Option Joey Wendle, Two Relievers to Triple-A

A’s Option INF Joey Wendle; Relievers Andrew Triggs, J.B. Wendelken
Oakland Athletics Roundup: Tuesday, March 15

The Oakland Athletics continued to cut their roster on Monday, optioning three more players to Triple-A. Infielder Joey Wendle, along with pitchers Andrew Triggs and J.B. Wendelken, were sent back to the minor league side of camp, leaving 48 players remaining.

Triggs was claimed off of release waivers from the Baltimore Orioles over the weekend. The right-hander will turn 27 tomorrow, but he has yet to pitch at the Triple-A level for an extended period of time. His only experience above Double-A came when he pitched less than an inning of the playoffs for Kansas City’s Triple-A Omaha team in 2014. While his numbers and his age seem to support the theory that he may be a candidate for the majors sooner rather than later, this minor league assignment will give Triggs the chance to face some tougher competition before making his big league debut. He was roughed up in a handful of Spring Training outings with the Orioles, but his regular season results have been impressive – he’s never had an ERA over 3.00 since being drafted in 2012.

Wendle has also had a tough spring, batting just .214/.267/.429 in 14 at-bats. Despite a low average, he has shown some extra-base ability. His three hits included a triple and a double. He also picked up a walk, a pair of RBI, and four runs. It was a fairly disappointing camp for Wendle, however, given that he’s running out of time to impress the A’s front office and earn a call-up before all of the organization’s shortstop prospects begin to pass him by.

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Of course, that doesn’t mean he’s already missed his shot. Wendle is a fairly known commodity at this point, so even if he was performing well in Spring Training, he would probably have still ended up in the minors sooner rather than later. The Athletics need to make sure they get a good look at all of their players, and they have a lot of infield talent to evaluate. Don’t rule out Wendle making his big league debut sometime this season.

Wendelken also may have the opportunity to make his major league debut this season. The A’s acquired Wendelken in the Brett Lawrie deal with the Chicago White Sox. The 22-year-old had not pitched in a Cactus League game before he was optioned, and he only just made the jump to Triple-A last year, so he had no real chance at making the A’s big league squad out of camp. However, a late-season call-up wouldn’t be out of the question if he performs well in the minors.

In Case You Missed It

Who is RHP Andrew Triggs? – An in-depth look at the Athletics’ newest reliever. Even though Triggs was optioned to Triple-A on Monday, he could still be an important part of the team next season – and his numbers are better than expected for a waiver claim.

Fantasy Baseball: Best A’s Draft Picks in 2016 – Melson Varsovia breaks down all of the potential Athletics’ fantasy options for your 2016 team. Aside from the obvious candidates like Sonny Gray or Josh Reddick, which players should you be stashing if you want to win your league? Be sure to check it out.

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Next: Swingin' A's Seeks New Writers For Upcoming Season

Around the Web

Oakland Athletics Prospects Chat – If you haven’t already, be sure to check out MLBTopProspects.com, which organized an A’s prospects discussion last week. Who is the most underrated prospect in the A’s system? Which shortstop will reach the majors first? Check out the answers to these and other key questions here.