Seth Brown is showing he has little interest in a long-term residency in Las Vegas. The question, though, is whether there’s still a home for the 31-year-old outfielder in Oakland.
Brown, who was outrighted to Triple-A last Tuesday after struggling with the A’s, was named the Pacific Coast League’s Player of the Week on Monday despite playing just four games for Las Vegas. He went 8-for-18 with three home runs, two doubles and seven RBIs for an OPS of 1.530 in those four games.
On Sunday, Brown went 4-for-6 with a pair of runs and two RBIs in the Aviators’ 20-10 win in Tacoma. For comparison’s sake, it took Brown 14 games to get four hits with Oakland. His 4-for-39 slump (.103) in June prompted the A’s to place him on waivers before sending him to the minor leagues.
Once a reliable veteran presence for the A’s, Brown’s struggles the past year and a half became too much to ignore. He had a rough slash line of .189/.251/.306 with a .556 OPS while striking out a career-worst 37% this season – 66 K’s in 195 plate appearances.
After sending Brown down, A’s general manager David Forst told reporters he hoped by pushing the reset button that the hard-working Brown would work his way out his slump while with Las Vegas. It’s taken just four days for Brown to show the kind of stroke that led to career-highs of 22 home runs and 73 RBIs for the A’s in 2022.
However, when Brown was demoted he was replaced by 23-year-old outfielder Lawrence Butler, who is much more likely to be part of the A’s future, despite struggling himself since returning to the big leagues. Butler went into Monday’s game having gone just 3-for-18 with seven strikeouts since his recall last Tuesday.
Allen shines in Vegas
Nick Allen, the A’s opening day shortstop, also finds himself in Vegas after struggling in the majors this season. Like Brown, Allen has spent his time trying to prove he belongs back up there.
Allen’s three hits in Sunday’s win for Vegas boosted his average to .341. He also will carry a .403 on-base percentage into Tuesday’s game.
In 28 games with Oakland this season, Allen hit just .171 with one home run, three RBIs. Lately, Allen’s replacement at shortstop for the A’s has been Max Schuemann, who has hit a rough patch lately.
Schuemann went into Monday’s game in Anaheim having gotten just three hits in his last nine games while going 3-for-32 (.094) with 13 strikeouts.
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Stripling, Blackburn to throw
A’s manager Mark Kotsay said starting pitchers Ross Stripling and Paul Blackburn will each throw bullpen sessions in the next couple of days.
Stripling, who was placed on the injured list on May 24 with a strained right elbow, is set to throw a bullpen Tuesday. The right-hander is 1-9 with a 5.82 earned run average and a 1.60 WHIP.
Blackburn, meanwhile, is battling back from a stress reaction in his foot that landed him on the IL on May 10 after he posted 3-2 record with a 4.11 ERA and an impressive 1.15 WHIP. He’ll throw for staff members on Wednesday.