The Athletics announced today that they have selected the contract of left-hander Ben Bowden. Fellow lefty Hogan Harris has been optioned as the corresponding active roster move. Infielder Logan Davidson has been designated for assignment to open a 40-man spot.
Bowden, 30, gets back to the big leagues for the first time in four years. He got into 39 games with the Rockies in 2021, allowing 6.56 earned runs per nine, but has been stuck in the minors since then. In early 2022, the Rays claimed him off waivers and later ran him through unclaimed. He then spent some time with the Giants, Phillies and Braves in a non-roster capacity without getting called up.
He signed a minor league deal with the A’s in the offseason and has been pitching well in Triple-A this year. In 39 2/3 innings for the Aviators, he has only allowed 1.36 earned runs per nine. There’s surely a bit of good luck in there, as his .260 batting average on balls in play, 80.3% strand rate and 2.3% home run per flyball rate are all to the helpful side. However, he is striking out 25.6% of opponents, though also with a high walk rate of 11.3%.
The A’s will give him a shot to see if he can find some major league success. With Harris getting sent down, Bowden will be the second lefty in the big league bullpen, alongside Sean Newcomb. It’s possible Newcomb is traded in the next week, since he’s an impending free agent and pitching well. That could help Bowden stick around, though he does have one option remaining.
Davidson, 27, was the club’s first-round pick back in 2019. After the lost 2020 season, he struggled in the three following campaigns and fell off the prospect map. He regained a bit of form in 2024 by hitting .300/.366/.535 in 87 Triple-A contests, despite his strikeout rate remaining high at 30.5%. He then started his 2025 season with a .303/.452/.428 line in his first 186 Triple-A plate appearances, again working around a high strikeout rate of 31.2%.
That got him up to the big leagues for the first time in late May. He struck out 12 times in his first 24 plate appearances, producing a .150/.261/.200 line before getting optioned back down to Las Vegas. Since getting sent back down, he has slashed .221/.371/.372.
DFA limbo can last as long as a week. The waiver process takes 48 hours, so the A’s could take up to five days to explore trade interest. He is capable of playing all over the diamond and has occasionally shown some promise at the plate. He also has a full slate of options and could perhaps appeal to a club in need of some position player depth. If he were to pass through waivers unclaimed, he would stick with the A’s as non-roster depth.
Photo courtesy of Rick Scuteri, Imagn Images
Perhaps it’s early still but Morales, Barnett and others pitchers in the upper levels of the A’s organization should be given a look at major league level as well… They are ready for the challenge…