The A’s announced that right-hander Spenser Watkins and outfielders Conner Capel and Cody Thomas have gone unclaimed on waivers and were sent outright to Triple-A Las Vegas. None of them had previously been designated for assignment. All three are off the 40-man roster, which now sits at 37.
Oakland claimed Watkins off waivers from the Astros a few weeks ago. He made one start, allowing five runs in 4 1/3 innings in a loss in St. Louis. It was the 31-year-old’s third straight season logging some major league action. Watkins started 30 of 39 appearances with the Orioles in 2021-22. In 164 1/3 career MLB frames, he carries a 5.97 ERA with a well below-average 13.9% strikeout rate.
Watkins isn’t overpowering, but he has typically shown above-average control. He has walked fewer than 7% of opposing hitters in his MLB career. His command has been uncharacteristically wobbly in Triple-A this year, however. Watkins has handed out free passes at an elevated 12.8% clip through 54 1/3 frames between three organizations.
Capel, 26, was claimed off waivers from St. Louis last September. He raked in 13 games for the A’s down the stretch and had held his spot on the 40-man until this week. Capel has bounced on and off the MLB roster this year, playing in 32 big league games. He has reached based at a quality .372 clip in his 86 plate appearances but hasn’t made much of a power impact.
The left-handed hitter has spent the bulk of the year in Las Vegas, picking up 315 trips to the dish in 72 contests. He’s hitting .269/.362/.444 with nine homers and 15 stolen bases in 18 attempts. That’s solid but unexceptional offense in one of affiliated ball’s most hitter-friendly settings.
Thomas has played in 29 games for the A’s over the past two seasons. The former Dodger draftee has hit .250/.308/.333 in that limited look. Thomas has had a good year in Triple-A, connecting on 19 homers with a .298/.357/.553 slash over 389 plate appearances.
It’s the second career outfights for Watkins and Thomas, giving each the right to test free agency. Capel doesn’t have a previous outright or sufficient service time to decline the assignment. He’ll stick in Vegas for the stretch run but would qualify for minor league free agency at the end of the season if the A’s don’t add him back to the 40-man roster.
Looking good, but need to avoid winning 4 more games if we’re going to be the worst team to play the game in the modern era. We’re on your heels 2003 Detroit Tigers!
Not a good sign, when you get dropped from the A’s….
Capel needs to be picked up
I have been a big time Connor Capel fan since I saw him in the series against the Mets last year! Screw metrics; this kid played with so much fire and grit against the Mets! He’s vastly underrated, good OBP. A product of the St.L Cardinals outfield machine,he’s a hidden gem that given enough ABs, will be really good!
Did the A’s do this to make room on their roster for Giolito, Renfroe and Grichuk? They do have the number one waiver priority…
They’re not paying those salaries, plus all those guys are impending free agents so it could only do them harm by worsening their lottery odds.
My guess is they want to get a look at a few players that are at Triple-A but not on the 40-Man Roster – Darrel Hernaiz, Joe Boyle, and Logan Davidson.
Not Davidson
Hideously random story: Connor Capel’s dad sold me a Chevy S10 truck from Mac Haik in Houston in 1998. Still have the autographed 1989 Topps card. I no longer have the truck.
I bought a SUV in 2000 from a guy whose last name was spelled almost exactly like Chuck Knoblauch.
I bought a car from a garage back in 2007 and have no idea what the name of the salesman was.
Sister in law sold an Audi to David Carr on draft day 2014. It was for his brother Derek. She has a really cool photo of the three of them.
Conner Capel. Shohei Ohtani’s worst nemesis
Outfights? Please edit, MLBTR writers.