OAKLAND — With Oakland removing two veterans from their roster on Monday, infielder Tyler Nevin and outfielder Lawrence Butler are back with the major-league club and stand to receive their share of playing time moving forward.
“I’m glad to be back, glad to be with the team. I missed my guys. I’m glad to come back and get a win for us,” said Butler, who doubled in Monday’s 7-5 win as Oakland snapped its 10-game losing streak.
Butler, 23, made the team out of spring training, cracking the Opening Day roster for the first time in his career. While Butler exhibited promising underlying metrics to begin the season, the outfielder had a .179 batting average and .555 OPS over 41 games before Oakland elected to option him to Las Vegas on May 14.
In 27 games with the Aviators, Butler had a .255 batting average and .767 OPS with four home runs and 16 RBIs. During Butler’s time in Las Vegas, he honed in on the mental side of the game, sharing that he learned how to deal with failure.
“You’re going to fail in this game,” Butler said. “I’m just a guy who wants it so bad. Sometimes, I get a little down on myself, but that comes with being in the big leagues. You’re not going to get a hit every time. That’s really what it was.”
Shortly after Opening Day, the A’s claimed the 27-year-old Nevin from the Orioles, who had designated him for assignment. Nevin started slow, but from April 13 to April 30, Nevin posted a slash line of .362/.406/.552 with three home runs and eight RBIs. Once the calendar flipped to May, however, Nevin cooled down in a hurry.
After collecting two hits on May 1, Nevin totaled just one hit in his next 15 games before the A’s designated him for assignment on May 28. Nevin ended up clearing waivers and was outrighted to Triple-A Las Vegas. With the Aviators, Nevin reproduced his April success, hitting .296 with a 1.031 OPS and four home runs in 14 games.
“I found my rhythm again,” Nevin said. “I was able to take a step back … and try to get back to being myself. It was a good couple weeks of doing that. It got me back up here, and I’m excited for that.”
Toro dealing with sore shoulder
Infielder Abraham Toro is out of the lineup for a second consecutive game as he deals with right shoulder soreness, per A’s manager Mark Kotsay.
According to Kotsay, Toro’s shoulder began bothering him after the team’s doubleheader against the Twins on Sunday. Toro played in both games, going 1-for-10.
Kotsay said Toro will undergo further evaluation following batting practice prior to Tuesday’s game, adding that the team is “hopeful” that Toro can avoid the injured list.
Over 71 games, Toro has a .256 batting average with six home runs, 24 RBIs and a .679 OPS. Toro has primarily played third base (37 games) and second base (17 games), but has also spent time at first base (three games) and left field (one game).