OAKLAND — When manager Mark Kotsay called Aledmys Díaz into his office to tell the infielder that he had been designated for assignment, Díaz responded in an atypical manner.
He apologized.
“Just a true pro,” Kotsay said.
Prior to Tuesday’s game against the Angels, Díaz and left-handed reliever Sean Newcomb were designated for assignment. Oakland called up infielder Brett Harris and right-hander Tyler Ferguson from Triple-A Las Vegas to take the roster spots.
“You don’t get many players that will come in when you’re telling him that they’re going through this process of being put on waivers or DFA’d,” Kotsay said, “and they apologize for, in his terms, a lack of performance in the way we rewarded him and the confidence we had bringing him here and putting him on the contract.”
Díaz, 33, signed a two-year, $14.5 million deal with the A’s before last season, but performed poorly on both sides of the ball. Díaz had a .218 batting average and .585 OPS with four home runs and 25 RBIs in 121 games over the past two seasons. The utility man spent most of his time in the field at shortstop, where he was worth -9 defensive runs saved. According to Baseball Reference, Díaz was worth -1.3 WAR. Díaz has played in just 12 games this season because of a right calf strain.
“We’re hopeful that he goes somewhere and can land on a team and help impact that team, whether it’s a playoff team or just give him another opportunity where he’s going to get maybe more consistent at-bats,” Kotsay said.of the nine-year MLB veteran who won a World Series ring with the Houston Astros in 2022.
The A’s acquired Newcomb, 31, from the Giants last August. The former Atlanta Braves first-round draft pick performed well upon joining Oakland, allowing five earned runs over 15 innings (3.00 ERA) with 17 strikeouts before undergoing season-ending left knee lateral meniscus surgery.
After signing a one-year, $1 million deal this past offseason, Newcomb had more medical issues, undergoing arthroscopic surgery on his right knee. Newcomb made his A’s season debut on June 4 and appeared in just seven games, allowing seven earned runs in 10 innings. But he made A’s history on June 22 when he became the franchise’s first pitcher to record a win without retiring a batter. In that game against the Twins, Newcomb relieved Lucas Erceg with two out in the bottom of the eighth inning and A’s trailing, 5-4. He threw two pitches to the plate and then picked off Austin Martin at first base. The A’s went ahead in the bottom of the eighth and closer Mason Miller pitched the ninth.
“He really grinded to get back to be able to perform at the major-league level after two surgeries he went through and an extended period on the IL,” Kotsay said. “Our bullpen’s really left handed, and for us, it was time to move on.”
Harris, 26, and Ferguson, 30, both began the season with Las Vegas but made their major-league debuts earlier this year with the A’s. Harris posted a .617 OPS with three home runs in 17 games in May. Ferguson also spent most of May with the A’s, allowing five earned runs over 10 innings (4.50 ERA) with 10 strikeouts to seven walks in nine appearances.
Morales selected for Futures Game
Luis Morales, Oakland’s No. 2 prospect in the MLB Pipeline rankings, was selected as the club’s representative for the 2024 All-Star Futures Game.
“If you get that accolade, you’ve earned it,” Kotsay said. “He’s at a lower level right now. I can see him graduating after the All-Star break and see him being challenged a little bit more.”
Morales, 21, signed with the A’s out of Cuba in January 2023 during the international signing period. The right-hander has had mixed results with Single-A Lansing, posting a 4.46 ERA with 41 strikeouts over 38 1/3 innings, but features promise as a starter moving forward. The 6-foot-3, 190-pound right-hander features a fastball that sits in the mid-to-high 90s and can touch triple digits, complementing the heat with a curveball, slider and changeup.
Injury updates
Right-handers Ross Stripling (right elbow flexor strain) and Paul Blackburn (right foot stress reaction) will throw live bullpens on Wednesday. If everything goes well, they will go out on a rehab assignment together.
Outfielder Esteury Ruiz (left wrist strain) and infielder Darell Hernaiz (left ankle sprain) are both in a hitting progression and advancing in the right direction. They will begin running the bases following their hitting progression, then go out for a rehab assignment.
Left-hander Kyle Muller (left shoulder tendinitis) was scheduled to throw around 45 pitches Tuesday night for Las Vegas. Following his outing, the team will determine whether he needs another rehab outing or if he can rejoin the team.
Dany Jiménez (strained left oblique) is progressing toward a throwing program.
Kotsay said left-hander Alex Wood (left rotator cuff tendinitis) is making “a lot of progress” and could start a throwing progression next week.
Infielder Abraham Toro (strained right hamstring) might start a running progression this week.
