Athletics Outright Geoff Hartlieb
The Athletics have sent right-hander Geoff Hartlieb outright to Triple-A Las Vegas, according to his transactions tracker at MLB.com. That indicates that Harlieb cleared waivers after being designated for assignment on Friday. As someone who has been outrighted before, he has the option to elect free agency rather than accept the assignment to Triple-A.
Hartlieb has done well at Triple-A this year, pitching to a 3.48 ERA in 33 2/3 innings for Las Vegas. In that time, he has struck out 28.9% of hitters while showing better-than-average control and inducing ground balls at a 50.0% clip. Since the start of 2025, Hartlieb has a 4.03 ERA in 87 Triple-A innings between four organizations, fitting the mold of a fringe, Quad-A reliever.
As one might expect from that description, Hartlieb hasn’t shown much in the Majors. His best sample came in 2020 with the Pirates, when he posted 3.63 ERA in 22 1/3 innings out of the bullpen. Even that production came with red flags. Hartlieb struck out and walked hitters at equal 18.8% rates, which caused his xERA and FIP values to finish just above 5.00. He has a relatively clean injury history but simply hasn’t shown enough to warrant an extended look in the Majors since then. Dating back to 2021, Hartlieb has thrown just 34 innings in the big leagues with a 9.00 ERA. That includes a 5.19 ERA in four appearances with the Athletics at the end of last month.
Hartlieb averages in the mid-90s with his four-seamer and has combined to throw that pitch, along with his mid-80s slider, over 80% of the time at Triple-A this year. He also mixes in a cutter, sinker, and in rare cases a changeup. Between that pitch mix and Hartlieb’s serviceable (if underwhelming) recent track record at Triple-A, there may be some fringe interest from around the league, though he could ultimately end up sticking in the Athletics organization. Hartlieb has been outrighted five times since the start of 2024, including today. He stayed with his current organization on three of those occasions, once by accepting the outright and twice by signing new minor league deals.
Photo courtesy of Scott Marshall, Imagn Images
Athletics Select Brian Serven
The Athletics announced multiple roster moves before Saturday’s matchup against the Marlins. The club selected the contract of catcher Brian Serven and reinstated utilityman Zack Gelof from the 10-day IL. Infielders Darell Hernaiz and Joey Meneses are headed back to Triple-A. The A’s had a couple of openings on the 40-man roster, so no additional move was needed for Serven.
Shea Langeliers was pulled from last night’s game with a thumb injury, so the A’s added some catching depth for the weekend. Jonah Heim will draw the start behind the plate tonight against Sandy Alcantara. Serven will presumably be the backup until Langeliers is ready to reclaim his starting role.
The 31-year-old Serven is making his return to the big leagues after spending all of 2025 with Detroit’s Triple-A affiliate. He’s played in parts of three seasons in the majors, mostly with the Rockies. Serven last suited up with the Blue Jays in 2024.
Serven is a career .187 hitter as a big leaguer, but he was having a nice season with Las Vegas. The veteran slashed .295/.392/.505 in 53 games before his call-up. As we saw when the A’s played there, Las Vegas Ballpark is an extremely hitter-friendly environment, so it’s unlikely that Serven has taken a step forward with the bat. His main contributions should continue to come behind the plate. Serven has racked up 7 Defensive Runs Saved across 730 innings with the Rockies and Blue Jays.
Gelof required a minimum stint on the injured list with a bruised hand. He’s back in the lineup tonight, batting second and playing left field. Gelof has mostly played third base this year, but injuries to Brent Rooker and Tyler Soderstrom have made outfield a clearer need.
The hand injury paused what has been a massive bounce-back campaign for Gelof. After struggling to stick on the roster last year, he’s posted a 129 wRC+ through 62 games this season. Gelof has trimmed his troublesome strikeout rate to a manageable 24.1%. He’s popped 11 home runs and stolen eight bases as a near-everyday player bouncing between second base, third base, and the outfield.
Hernaiz has been up and down with the A’s since his debut in 2024. He broke camp with the club this season, but has already been squeezed off the roster once. His most recent stint in the majors is over after less than a week. Hernaiz had an underwhelming .606 OPS through 134 plate appearances. He saw playing time at every infield spot except first base. The 24-year-old also made his first MLB appearance in the outfield. Hernaiz is in his final minor league option year.
Meneses made it back to the big leagues after a year in Triple-A with the Mets. He inked a minor league deal with the A’s in November and earned a promotion after delivering a 124 wRC+ with Las Vegas. The 34-year-old appeared in 7 games with the club, going 2-for-14 with a couple of RBI. Meneses put together a year and a half of solid production when he first debuted with the Nationals, but he struggled mightily in 2024.
Image courtesy of Rick Scuteri, Imagn Images
Nationals Claim Matt Krook, Designate Andre Granillo
The Nationals announced that left-hander Matt Krook has been claimed off waivers from the Athletics. To create roster space for Krook, the Nats designated right-hander Andre Granillo for assignment and optioned righty Zak Kent to Triple-A Rochester.
The A’s designated Krook for assignment just yesterday, and Krook joins Tom Cosgrove and Konnor Pilkington as left-handed bullpen adds for the Nats just within the last few days. Mitchell Parker is set for Tommy John surgery and Richard Lovelady is also on the 15-day injured list, depleting the relief corps of two prominent left-handed options. Krook will step right into the active roster in Kent’s place, giving Washington three southpaws (Krook, Carson Palmquist, PJ Poulin) in its current relief mix.
More substantive bullpen additions might be coming before the trade deadline, since the Nationals need a lot of relief help in general and the team has remained a surprise contender in the wild card race. The front office’s approach for now could be to just patch holes, and wait a few more weeks to see if the Nats can keep it up and remain in position for the club to be deadline buyers of some measure.
Krook has gotten cups of coffee in each of the last four MLB seasons, with 12 innings pitched over his 13 career games. The small sample size has been ugly, as Krook has a 16.50 ERA during his brief time as a big leaguer that includes a 17.18 ERA over 3 2/3 frames with the Athletics this year. Krook has 12 walks against only 13 strikeouts in the majors, as the control problems that plagued the lefty in the minors have only grown more severe in the Show.
Since becoming a full-time reliever in 2023 when pitching in the Yankees’ farm system, Krook’s numbers have improved, and he posted a 3.72 ERA, 30.9% strikeout rate, and 11.8% walk rate across 29 innings with Triple-A Las Vegas this season. Most impressively in that hitter-friendly environment, Krook hasn’t allowed a home run, as he has continued his career-long trend of keeping the ball in the park and generating grounder rates of well over 60% (61.4% this year).
Between this extreme groundball ability and the strikeout rates he has generated in the minors, it is easy to see why teams keep taking fliers on Krook. At age 31, it remains to be seen if Krook can translate any of his success in the minors to even moderate production in the big leagues, as MLB hitters have thus far had no trouble figuring him out.
Granillo is another of the many pitchers in Washington’s bullpen churn this season, and the righty posted only a 9.64 ERA over 9 1/3 innings, with eight walks and two homers allowed across eight appearances. A career reliever, Granillo’s excellent work with Triple-A Memphis in 2025 earned him his first big league promotion with the Cardinals, but a February trade to Washington hasn’t worked out at all for the right-hander. In addition to Granillo’s struggles in the majors, he also has a 6.82 ERA in 31 2/3 frames with Rochester.
It was enough for the Nationals to send Granillo to DFA limbo. He hasn’t been outrighted in his career, so Granillo will have to accept an outright assignment to Triple-A in the probable event that he clears waivers.
Athletics Designate Matt Krook, Geoff Hartlieb For Assignment
The Athletics announced that left-hander José Suarez has been reinstated from the paternity list and righty Mark Leiter Jr. from the 15-day injured list. In corresponding moves, lefty Matt Krook and righty Geoff Hartlieb have been designated for assignment. The club’s 40-man roster count drops to 38.
Krook, 31, signed a minor league deal with the A’s in the offseason. He started the campaign in Triple-A and put up some good numbers. He tossed 29 relief innings, allowing 3.72 earned runs per nine in the hitter-friendly Pacific Coast League. His 11.8% walk rate was high but he struck out 30.9% of batters faced and induced grounders on 61.4% of balls in play.
The A’s called him up to the big league roster on June 21st. Since then, he has made five appearances, logging 3 2/3 innings, allowing seven earned runs. There was some bad luck in that tiny sample of work but Krook didn’t do himself any favors by walking four of the 21 opponents he faced, a 19% clip. He also hit one batter, so he actually gave 23.8% of hitters a free trip to first.
That wildness was apparently enough to get him squeezed off the roster. Since he’s out of options, that means he’s been pushed off the 40-man and into DFA limbo. The A’s can now take as long as five days to explore trade interest, but they could also put him on waivers sooner than that if they so choose. Waivers are a 48-hour process, so Krook will know his fate within a week, one way or another.
Krook’s big league track record isn’t much to go on. This is his fourth big league season but he hasn’t topped four innings in any of those and only has 12 total big league innings under his belt. A former starter, he has generally put up good Triple-A numbers since converting to relief, though with notable control concerns.
He doesn’t throw especially hard, averaging under 90 miles per hour with his sinker, while also throwing a slider, changeup and cutter. Despite the lack of velo, he can get guys out. Dating back to the start of 2023, he has thrown 154 2/3 Triple-A innings with a 3.08 ERA. He has fanned 31.7% of batters in that time and gotten heaps of ground balls but walked opponents at a massive 15.7% pace. He has been outrighted in his career before, so he would have the right to elect free agency if he clears waivers again in the coming days.
Hartlieb, 32, has had a similar trajectory this year. He also signed a minor league deal with the A’s in the offseason and began the year with good Triple-A numbers. He logged 33 2/3 innings at that level with a 3.48 ERA, 28.9% strikeout rate, 7% walk rate and 50% ground ball rate.
He was added to the big league roster on June 20th, one day before Krook. Hartlieb also struggled to replicate his minor league success in the majors, though not to such an extreme degree. Hartlieb tossed 8 2/3 innings, allowing five earned runs. He only struck out three of the 39 batters he faced, a paltry 7.7% clip, while giving out three walks and throwing two wild pitches.
He, too, now heads into DFA limbo. His major league track record is a bit longer than Krook’s but isn’t necessarily better. He has thrown 91 1/3 innings over seven seasons with a 7.69 ERA, 18.9% strikeout rate, 14.4% walk rate and 44.8% ground ball rate. Dating back to the start of 2021, he has thrown 273 1/3 Triple-A innings with a 4.48 ERA, 25% strikeout rate and 9.3% walk rate. His four-seamer and sinker average in the mid-90s as he also features a cutter, slider and rarely-used changeup. Like Krook, he has been previously outrighted in his career and would have the right to elect free agency if he clears waivers in the coming days.
Photo courtesy of Scott Marshall, Imagn Images
Brent Rooker To Undergo Season-Ending Knee Surgery
A’s designated hitter Brent Rooker will undergo surgery to repair cartilage damage in his left knee, reports Martín Gallegos of MLB.com. He’ll miss the remainder of the season.
It concludes a frustrating year for the two-time All-Star. Rooker was an ironman last season, appearing in all 162 games — all but one as a starter. He rarely seemed completely healthy this season and will wind up playing in just 42 contests. Rooker went down in mid-April with a right oblique strain. He came back fairly quickly but didn’t play at his usual level. The knee him sent back to the injured list a month ago, with the team initially calling it a bone contusion.
Rooker’s bat speed was intact, but his swing and miss rate climbed significantly. He had a particularly tough time adjusting to any kind of offspeed stuff and did almost all his damage against fastballs. Whether because of the injuries or a timing issue, he was far below his capabilities. Rooker batted .200/.281/.389 with 10 home runs across 203 plate appearances. He’d been a well above-average offensive player in the prior three seasons, one of only eight hitters to hit at least 30 homers every year from 2023-25.
The A’s have used backup catcher Jonah Heim as their main designated hitter since the injury. That’s also an avenue for Shea Langeliers to stay in the lineup while getting a day off defensively with Heim behind the dish. They’re also down Jacob Wilson, Tyler Soderstrom and Zack Gelof at the moment — losing all three in quick succession last week. That places a lot of emphasis on Langeliers and Nick Kurtz, each of whom has gone cold over the past couple weeks.
There’s little doubt those two sluggers will pick things back up. It’ll need to happen quickly to stop a slide in the standings. The A’s have dropped four straight and eight of their last 10, falling a season-worst six games under .500. They’re still just 3.5 games back in a wide open AL West but are at 40-46 with the second-worst run differential in the American League.
Rooker is signed through 2029 with a club/vesting option for the ’30 season. He’ll respectively earn $12MM, $13MM and $17MM over the final three years of the $60MM extension he signed two winters ago. The team hasn’t provided many specifics on the operation, but there’s no indication it’ll impact his availability for the start of next season.
A’s Trade Brett Harris To Red Sox
The Red Sox added to their infield depth this morning, announcing the acquisition of Brett Harris from the Athletics in exchange for minor league righty Ben Hansen. Harris, who’d been designated for assignment by the A’s, has been optioned to Triple-A Worcester for now. In order to clear a spot on the 40-man roster, Boston announced that veteran reliever Tommy Kahnle has been designated for assignment (as was reported and covered here last night).
Harris, 28, changes teams for the first time in his career. The Gonzaga product was a seventh-round selection by the A’s in 2021. Harris doesn’t have huge physical tools, but he’s a capable defensive third baseman who has shown a patient approach in the minors. He got to the big leagues in ’24 and has been up and down from Triple-A Las Vegas over the past couple seasons.
A right-handed batter, Harris hasn’t done much at the plate at the big league level. He’s a career .194/.307/.289 hitter with three longballs in 73 games. Harris has a much stronger .291/.385/.465 batting line in nearly 900 Triple-A plate appearances across four seasons. Although the power is inflated by his playing in the Pacific Coast League, Harris rarely expands the strike zone and makes a solid amount of contact.
Harris is primarily a third baseman but can play any non-shortstop infield position. He has committed four errors in roughly 500 MLB innings at the hot corner, grading as a slightly above-average defender by Outs Above Average and Defensive Runs Saved. He’s in his final minor league option year. The Sox can shuttle him freely between Worcester and Boston for now, but if he lasts the entire offseason on the roster, he’ll need to break camp with the team in 2027 or else be designated for assignment.
Caleb Durbin has finally gotten going after a brutal first couple months. He’s locked into everyday third base playing time, but Harris could grab a bench spot over Andruw Monasterio or Nate Eaton. The latter was ejected from Tuesday’s loss to the Nationals for fighting amidst a bench-clearing brawl, so he might be facing a minor suspension. Willson Contreras, whose jawing with Cade Cavalli spurred the benches to clear, is almost certainly going to be suspended for throwing his helmet in the scrum.
The A’s pick up a lottery ticket reliever in the low minors. Hansen, 24, is a 6’6″ righty whom the Sox selected in the 20th round in 2024. The BYU product has a 4.75 earned run average across 41 2/3 innings in a long relief role in High-A. He has fanned 28% of opponents against an 8% walk rate while getting grounders at a near-50% clip.
Chris Cotillo of MassLive.com first reported that Harris was headed to the Red Sox. Andrew Parker of Sox Prospects first reported that Hansen was going back to the A’s in the deal.
A’s, Jack Winkler Agree To Minor League Deal
The Athletics are in agreement with utility player Jack Winkler on a minor league contract, as first reflected on the MLB.com transaction tracker. He has been assigned to Triple-A Las Vegas.
Winkler backfills the upper minors infield depth which has been tested by a few injuries. Jacob Wilson and Zack Gelof have landed on the injured list within the past week. That pressed Darell Hernaiz and rookie Joshua Kuroda-Grauer up from Triple-A. The A’s also designated Brett Harris for assignment over the weekend when they acquired reliever Hayden Juenger from the Blue Jays. They’re presumably hoping that Harris will clear waivers and stick around, but they won’t know that for sure until later in the week.
The 27-year-old Winkler played in 14 big league contests with the Marlins a year ago. The A’s have a lot of familiarity with him, as they drafted him out of the University of San Francisco in 2021. Winkler peaked at Double-A in his previous stint in the organization. He’d spent this year in Triple-A with the Astros until being released last week.
Winkler was hitting just .184/.260/.306 over 227 plate appearances for Houston’s affiliate. He’s a lifetime .228/.311/.342 hitter over six minor league seasons. He’s not going to provide much offensively but can back up anywhere in the infield.
Athletics Place Tyler Soderstrom, Jacob Wilson On IL
The Athletics announced a big batch of roster moves today. Shortstop Jacob Wilson and outfielder Tyler Soderstrom have both been placed on the 10-day injured list. Wilson’s transaction is retroactive to June 26th and due to right thumb inflammation. Soderstrom’s is retroactive to June 28th and due to a left hip impingement. Additionally, left-hander José Suarez hits the paternity list. To replace those three, the A’s have recalled righty Kade Morris and infielder Darell Hernaiz and selected the contract of infielder Joshua Kuroda-Grauer. To open a 40-man spot for Kuroda-Grauer, righty Michael Kelly has been designated for assignment.
At this point, there’s nothing to indicate either injury is significant. Still, it’s not ideal for a club to be losing two of its lineup fixtures. That’s especially true of the A’s as they already have Zack Gelof, Brent Rooker and Denzel Clarke on the IL, so these moves make for five regular position players on the shelf, in addition to a few pitchers. The A’s are in a tight American League playoff race, currently a game and a half out of a Wild Card spot, so any setback is going to be notable for them.
Soderstrom has a .242/.343/.460 line on the year, so the lineup will definitely be missing his bat. On the other side of the ball, Defensive Runs Saved likes his glovework this year but Outs Above Average doesn’t. That might be a strange blip, as both metrics were fond of his left field work last year. Wilson’s offense is a bit down this year, as he has a .277/.310/.386 line. His shortstop defense hasn’t received strong grades and DRS still frowns on him but he has been credited with six OAA this season.
The A’s didn’t add an outfielder with their moves today, so Soderstrom’s playing time will probably go to guys already on the roster. Carlos Cortes and Colby Thomas will likely get some left field time, next to Henry Bolte in center and Lawrence Butler in right. Cortes had a strong start to the season but is hitting .111/.167/.178 in June. Thomas is hitting just .203/.244/.311 for the season.
At shortstop, Alika Williams has covered the spot for the past few days while Wilson was hurt. Williams is a decent defender but his offense is more questionable. His .283/.306/.433 line this year looks nice but it’s propped up by a .400 batting average on balls in play while Williams has just a 3.2% walk rate and a massive 30.2% strikeout rate. It’s fair to expect his line to regress.
Kuroda-Grauer also joins the mix, getting called up to the big leagues for the first time. A third-round pick from 2024, he has climbed the ladder with a contact-heavy approach with few walks and strikeouts. In 1,040 minor league plate appearances, his 7% walk rate is a bit below average while his 8.4% strikeout rate is barely a third of par. That has led to a .309/.370/.407 line and 106 wRC+.
Baseball America currently lists him as the club’s #9 prospect, highlighting his contact approach and lack of power. Defensively, he is considered an above-average shortstop while also capably playing second base and third base, with some dabbling in the outfield as well. He doesn’t have elite speed but is smart on the basepaths, allowing him to steal 27 bases last year and 15 already this year. He will give the A’s cover at a few different spots. As other guys get healthy, he has a full slate of options and could be easily sent back down to the minors in the future.
Kelly, 33, was claimed off waivers from the Guardians in November of 2023. His tenure with the A’s began well, as he posted a 2.59 earned run average over 31 1/3 innings in 2024. Unfortunately, that was interrupted in unusual fashion. Kelly was one of several players who received a one-year suspension for betting on major league baseball games while in the minors. He returned from that suspension last summer and gave the A’s another 39 2/3 innings with a 3.18 ERA.
This year’s results haven’t been there. Kelly has only logged five big league innings, with nine earned runs allowed in that time. He has spent most of his time on optional assignment, where he has fared better. He has thrown 25 1/3 innings with a 3.20 ERA, 27.3% strikeout rate and 9.1% walk rate.
Kelly now heads into DFA limbo, which can last as long as a week. The waiver process takes 48 hours, so the A’s could take as long as five days to explore trade interest, though they could also put him on the wire sooner. Since he is still optionable, it seems like there should be some interest there. Kelly has a strong 3.72 ERA in his big league career. He has struggled in a tiny sample of major league work in 2026 but with much better work on the farm.
Photo courtesy of Sergio Estrada, Imagn Images
Athletics Acquire Hayden Juenger, Designate Brett Harris For Assignment
The A’s have struck a deal with the Blue Jays for right-hander Hayden Juenger, both teams announced. Catcher Owen Carapellotti is heading back to Toronto. Juenger was designated for assignment by the Blue Jays earlier this week when righty Shane Bieber returned. The Athletics DFAed infielder Brett Harris to clear a 40-man spot for Juenger.
The 25-year-old Juenger had his contract selected by Toronto at the end of May. He allowed three earned runs over two innings in his brief time with the big-league club. Juenger earned his first taste of the majors after delivering a strong 2.59 ERA across 21 appearances at Triple-A this year. The righty posted a 27.2% strikeout rate and trimmed his troubling walk rate to 8.7%, one of the best marks of his career.
Juenger didn’t attract any suitors during the Rule 5 draft this winter. He now finds a new home without the requirement of being kept on the MLB roster. The A’s stepped in and executed a trade instead of rolling the dice on the waiver wire process. They parted with a low-level minor league backstop to secure Juenger’s services.
Carapellotti signed with the A’s as an undrafted free agent this past July. The 23-year-old has shown impressive power in a small sample at Single-A, popping eight home runs in 20 games. Carapellotti played four years of college ball at Georgetown. He hit .298 with 14 home runs for the Hoyas during the 2025 campaign.
Harris has been up and down with the A’s in each of the last three seasons. He appeared in just five games this year, primarily as a defensive replacement. Harris has a 77 wRC+ across 213 MLB plate appearances. He’s played both corner infield spots plus second base in the big leagues, though most of his reps have come at third. Harris put together a strong defensive showing in 2025, accruing 5 Defensive Runs Saved in 27 appearances at the hot corner.
The A’s have five days to find a trade partner for Harris or put him on outright waivers. The waiver process takes 48 hours, so Harris’ status will be clarified within a week.
Photo courtesy of Daniel Kucin Jr., Imagn Images
A’s Prospect Wei-En Lin To Undergo Tommy John Surgery
Left-handed pitching prospect Wei-En Lin will be undergoing Tommy John surgery, MLB.com’s Martin Gallegos reports. Given the usual recovery timeline, Lin will be sidelined until August 2027 at the earliest, so it is very possible the procedure wipes out both the rest of his 2026 campaign and his entire 2027 season.
A $1.3MM international signing for the Athletics in 2024, the 20-year-old Lin has already advanced to Triple-A in his second pro season. Lin posted a 1.93 ERA, 26.6% strikeout rate, and 6.5% walk rate over 10 starts and 51 1/3 innings with Double-A Midland this season and got the call to Triple-A Las Vegas earlier this month before things started going haywire.
Lin was rocked for eight earned runs over his first two Triple-A starts, lasting just 1 2/3 innings over those two outing. A placement on the injured list followed on June 14, and it is fair to assume that Lin’s elbow issues may have played a role in his immediate struggles in Triple-A (to say nothing of the challenge faced by any pitcher in the hitter-friendly Pacific Coast League).
Had things gone differently both health-wise and results-wise for Lin, he might’ve been in line for his first trip to the majors before the 2026 season was over. The A’s might not have felt a need to rush a 20-year-old pitcher, yet Lin might have conceivably provided at least some bullpen help for a pitching-needy Athletics club that hopes to remain in the playoff chase. Instead, Lin now likely won’t be a factor until the A’s leave Sacramento for their new home in Las Vegas.
Lin pitched for Chinese Taipei during the World Baseball Classic, and his strong performance this season earned him some attention in league-wide prospect rankings. Baseball America’s June update to its top-100 prospect list cites Lin as the 70th-best minor leaguer in the sport, while MLB Pipeline ranks Lin 88th. Lin isn’t a hard thrower and could yet add velocity, but his low 90s fastball is just one of four pitches that the left-hander can consistently throw for strikes. BA and Pipeline give all four of Lin’s pitches (a fastball, changeup, curveball, and slider) at least a 50 grade, and Lin has also experimented with a splitter.
