Darell Hernaiz

A’s Option Esteury Ruiz, J.T. Ginn

By Steve Adams | March 17, 2025 at 10:14am CDT

The A’s optioned several names to Triple-A Las Vegas last night, including outfielder Esteury Ruiz, rotation hopeful J.T. Ginn, infielder Darell Hernaiz, and righties Elvis Alvarado and Grant Holman. Infielder Alejo Lopez and lefty Matt Krook, both former big leaguers in camp on non-roster deals, were also reassigned to minor league camp. All of those cuts were announced by the team.

Ruiz, 26, was the Athletics’ primary center fielder in 2023 and swiped a gaudy 67 bases that season but did so while batting only .254/.309/.345 in 132 games (497 plate appearances). Though he was one of several key players acquired in the Athletics’ slate of rebuild-focused trades — regrettably coming over in a three-way deal that sent star catcher William Contreras, whom the A’s could’ve kept, to the Brewers — Ruiz has fallen a ways down the team’s depth chart since that original acquisition.

Injury played a role in his drop down the pecking order, as he missed the bulk of the 2024 campaign with a wrist strain. Ruiz logged 29 games and 65 plate appearances in the majors and delivered only a feeble .200/.270/.382 output at the plate. He hit .345/.425/.596 in 73 minor league plate appearances last year, but he’s long had eye-catching numbers in the upper minors that haven’t carried over to MLB, where he’s a .243/.297/.343 hitter in 598 plate appearances. Ruiz didn’t do himself any favors this spring, hitting .121/.171/.152 in 35 trips to the plate during Cactus League play.

The A’s locked Lawrence Butler up on a long-term extension and saw JJ Bleday turn in a breakout performance at the plate last season. That leaves two of their three outfield spots spoken for in the long-term. Bleday is miscast as a center fielder, so perhaps there’s room for Ruiz to work his way back into that role, but prospects like Colby Thomas, Denzel Clarke and Henry Bolte are all on the cusp of MLB readiness as well. At least for the early stages of the 2025 campaign, it looks like the A’s will go with a left field platoon of Seth Brown and Miguel Andujar.

In the rotation, Ginn heads back to Triple-A on the heels of a tough spring. The righty’s final outing was excellent — four innings of one-run ball with seven punchouts — but he still served up 13 runs (11 earned) in 13 innings while walking 12.5% of his opponents. The 25-year-old is a former second-round pick whom the A’s acquired in the trade sending Chris Bassitt to the Mets. He was hit relatively hard between Double-A and Triple-A last year but turned in a decent blend of strikeout, walk and ground-ball rates (21.2%, 8.8% and 54.1%, respectively). He held his own with a 4.24 ERA in his first 34 MLB frames last summer as well.

With Ginn being sent out, it increasingly appears as though the Athletics’ season-opening rotation will include Luis Severino, Jeffrey Springs, JP Sears, Osvaldo Bido and Mitch Spence. A late injury could always change that, and the A’s still have one possible rotation alternative in camp in the form of Joey Estes, who’s had a decent Cactus League run this spring.

Hernaiz, acquired in the trade of Cole Irvin to Baltimore, became a long shot for the roster after the A’s signed both Gio Urshela and Luis Urias to major league contracts this winter. Jacob Wilson and Zack Gelof are lined up in the middle infield, while Urias and Urshela can handle third base and move around to multiple infield positions. Hernaiz hit well in Triple-A last year (.331/.376/.493) but mustered only a .192/.261/.242 line in his first 135 MLB plate appearances. His spring output wasn’t much more encouraging — .194/.302/.306 in 43 plate appearances — so he’ll had back to the minors for more work.

Athletics Outright Abraham Toro

By Darragh McDonald | August 28, 2024 at 1:13pm CDT

Aug. 28: Toro went unclaimed on waivers and has been assigned outright to Triple-A Las Vegas, the A’s announced.

Aug. 27: The Athletics announced that they have reinstated infielder Jacob Wilson from the 10-day injured list and recalled infielder Armando Alvarez. They had optioned infielder Darell Hernaiz after last night’s game, opening one roster spot. They opened another by designating infielder Abraham Toro for assignment.

Toro, 27, was acquire from the Brewers in November, just prior to the non-tender deadline. Presumably, the Brewers were considering cutting him loose but the A’s were willing to give him a shot and sent minor league pitcher Chad Patrick the other way.

For a while, it looked like a shrewd pickup for Oakland. Toro and the A’s agreed to a salary of $1.275MM for this year, not far above the $740K league minimum, and he came with two extra years of potential club control as well. Through the end of May, he was hitting .288/.332/.429 for a wRC+ of 118 while bouncing around to all the non-shortstop infield positions as well as the outfield corners.

But things have fallen off dramatically since then, as Toro is hitting .160/.228/.216 since the start of June. Perhaps the A’s had some hope of flipping him in a deadline trade, but that was complicated by the fact that he was on the injured list from June 22 to July 21 due to a strained left hamstring and wasn’t hitting much around that IL stint.

The A’s will give Toro’s playing time to younger players who are looking to get acclimated to the major leagues. Since Toro is out of options, the club couldn’t easily send him down to the minors, which has led to this DFA.

With the deadline now passed, the A’s will have to place Toro on waivers. Perhaps some club will be interested based on his early season results. The numbers have fallen off but the injury perhaps explains some of that. He also has a tiny .188 batting average on balls in play in that rough patch starting at the beginning of June, compared to a .333 BABIP he carried through the end of May. If any club likes him enough to put in a claim, he can be controlled through 2026.

If he passes through waivers unclaimed, he will likely stick with the A’s as non-roster depth. Since he has more than three years of service time, he has the right to elect free agency. But since he has fewer than five years of service, he would have to forfeit his remaining salary to do so. If he ends up sticking with the A’s in a non-roster capacity, he would become a free agent at season’s end, like all outrighted players with at least three years of service.

Athletics Reinstate Darell Hernaiz

By Darragh McDonald | August 2, 2024 at 4:45pm CDT

The Athletics announced today that infielder Darell Hernaiz has been reinstated from the 60-day injured list. In corresponding moves, infielder Brett Harris was optioned to Triple-A Las Vegas and right-hander Luis Medina was transferred to the 60-day IL. The club’s 40-man roster count stays at 40.

Acquired from the Orioles in the 2023 Cole Irvin trade, Hernaiz was added to Oakland’s 40-man roster in November of last year to keep him out of the Rule 5 draft. He then made the club’s Opening Day roster here in 2024 but hit just .182/.243/.182 in his first 75 major league plate appearances. In early May, he landed on the IL due to a severe left ankle sprain that has kept him out of action for roughly the past three months.

The A’s will naturally be hoping for more offense now that he’s healthy. Considering he’s slashed .300/.376/.418 at the Triple-A level between last year and this year, it’s a reasonable expectation on their part. He’s capable of playing second base, third base and shortstop and will likely rotate between those spots.

As for Medina, this transfer was inevitable as it was reported last week that he would require Tommy John surgery. He’ll remain on the 60-day IL for the remainder of the year but will need to be reinstated after the season is over, as there’s no IL between the World Series and Spring Training.

AL West Notes: Evans, Seager, Tucker, Athletics

By Mark Polishuk | June 9, 2024 at 6:23pm CDT

A few players from the 2023 draft have already made their MLB debuts, and Mariners prospect Logan Evans could potentially be coming soon due to his recent move to relief pitching. As Adam Jude of the Seattle Times writes, Mariners president of baseball operations Jerry Dipoto recently called Evans with the idea of shifting from the Double-A rotation to the bullpen, since the M’s are currently in the enviable position of having a loaded rotation. Working as a reliever could put Evans on the fast track to the Show, and give the Mariners an extra hard-throwing arm in an injury-depleted pen.

A 12th-round pick out of Pitt, Evans has a sparkling 1.16 ERA over 54 1/3 innings for Double-A Arkansas this season, with a 23% strikeout rate, 7.4% walk rate, and a 53.6% grounder rate. MLB Pipeline’s scouting report also notes that the Mariners received trade interest in Evans as early as last offseason, after he posted an 0.60 ERA in his first 15 pro innings.

Athletics Place Alex Wood On 15-Day Injured List; Transfer Darell Hernaiz To 60-Day IL

By Darragh McDonald | May 15, 2024 at 3:05pm CDT

The Athletics announced several transactions today, with right-hander Aaron Brooks selected to the roster, a move that was reported on Monday. They also recalled left-hander Hogan Harris from Triple-A Las Vegas. To open spots on the active roster for those two, left-hander Brady Basso was optioned to Vegas and fellow lefty Alex Wood was placed on the 15-day injured list with left rotator cuff tendonitis, retroactive to May 13. To open a 40-man spot for Brooks, infielder Darell Hernaiz was transferred to the 60-day IL.

Wood only lasted two innings in his most recent start on Sunday. After the game, manager Mark Kotsay revealed that the lefty had been battling a shoulder injury. “Alex has been grinding,” Kotsay said, as relayed by Martín Gallegos of MLB.com on X. “He hasn’t felt great. He gave us everything he had.” The club took a few days, perhaps seeing how Wood’s shoulder felt with some space from that outing, but have evidently decided to give him some time on the shelf.

The A’s have had Ken Waldichuk, Luis Medina and Freddy Tarnok on the injured list all year. In the past ten days, Joe Boyle, Paul Blackburn and now Wood have joined them. That leaves Oakland with a rotation core of JP Sears and Ross Stripling. Right-hander Joey Estes was recalled recently and has made one start for the club, with Brooks now joining him in the ad hoc rotation mix.

Wood was scheduled to take the ball again on Friday, so the A’s will need another starter in a couple of days. Harris has been starting in Triple-A this year and could be an option, though he has a 7.56 earned run average at that level. Osvaldo Bido was previously recalled for a spot start but didn’t last through the third inning. Royber Salinas is on the 40-man but has just one Triple-A start to this point in his career. Kyle Muller and Mitch Spence are each in the big league bullpen but both of them have lots of minor league starting experience.

As for Hernaiz, he was placed on the 10-day IL a week ago with a left ankle sprain that was described as “severe,” per Gallegos on X. A further update from Gallegos on X relayed that Hernaiz will not require surgery but he will be in a walking boot. Kotsay said it’s going to “take some time” to heal. It seems the club doesn’t expect Hernaiz back before July, as he’ll be ineligible to return before then.

Athletics Announce Several Roster Moves

By Steve Adams | May 8, 2024 at 1:15pm CDT

1:15pm: Hernaiz has a “severe” left ankle sprain, per Martín Gallegos of MLB.com. He’s going to see a specialist today.

11:23am: The A’s on Wednesday announced announced that they’ve recalled catcher/first baseman Tyler Soderstrom from Triple-A Las Vegas and also recalled righty Osvaldo Bido to serve as the 27th man for today’s doubleheader. Oakland also selected the contract of lefty Easton Lucas. Meanwhile, infielder Darell Hernaiz was placed on the 10-day IL with a left ankle injury, lefty Hogan Harris was optioned to Las Vegas, and minor league righty Alex Speas was designated for assignment to open a 40-man spot for Lucas.

A slate of transactions on the heels of a 15-8 blowout loss yesterday and a doubleheader today seemed inevitable. Bido will start the second game of today’s twin bill against the Rangers. He’s in his first year with the A’s organization after becoming a minor league free agent but nevertheless signing a major league contract this offseason. He’s excelled through his first six appearances (five starts), pitching to a 2.59 ERA in 31 1/3 frames with a 30% strikeout rate and 10% walk rate. The 28-year-old made his MLB debut with the Pirates last season and pitched 50 2/3 innings with an unsightly 5.86 ERA.

Swapping out Harris for Lucas will give the A’s some length in the bullpen, as Lucas has tossed 15 2/3 innings in 11 appearances this season, pitching two or more innings on four occasions. He’s delivered solid results in that role, posting a 2.87 ERA — albeit with a less-inspiring 13-to-8 K/BB ratio (plus another hit batter).

Soderstrom’s call to the big leagues will give the A’s another look at the former first-rounder and top prospect. The 2020 No. 26 overall pick debuted as a 21-year-old last summer but looked overmatched, hitting just .160/.232/.240 with a 31.2% strikeout rate in 138 plate appearances. The lefty-swinging slugger has had a nice start to the season in Triple-A, hitting for a pedestrian .245 average but reaching base at a hearty .353 clip while slugging .529 in 119 plate appearances. Soderstrom, who is touted for his plus-plus raw power, has already drilled seven homers and collected eight doubles on the young season. He’s fanned at a 26.1% clip, but strikeouts are likely always going to be part of his game — and he’s at least helped offset some of those whiffs with a healthy 10.1% walk rate.

It’s not yet clear how the A’s will divide up playing time with Soderstrom now in the big leagues. Starting catcher Shea Langeliers has struggled mightily at the plate but continues to play strong defense. Backup Kyle McCann has raked at a .393/.485/.750 clip, but that’s come in a minuscule sample of 33 plate appearances.

Soderstrom has plenty of experience at first base as well, given that there are significant questions about his defensive skills behind the plate. Oakland recently optioned Opening Day first baseman Ryan Noda, but early-season pickup Tyler Nevin has hit well since Noda was sent down. Nevin has spent the bulk of his time at first base but has experience at all four corner positions. In all likelihood, there will be plenty of mixing and matching, which is to be expected from an A’s team that entered the season with few set-in-stone starting players and is actively evaluating potential long-term options at multiple spots. The majority of Oakland’s roster can and has played multiple positions — many with other clubs — while trying to carve out permanent MLB roles.

The A’s only acquired the 26-year-old Speas on April 6, sending cash to the White Sox for him following a DFA in Chicago. The flamethrowing righty sits in the 99-100mph range with his heater and can run it up to 102-103mph. Predictably, that’s led to both eye-popping strikeout totals and alarming walk rates in the minors. He pitched 10 1/3 innings for the Athletics’ Las Vegas affiliate but was tagged for 13 runs in that time, due in no small part to a 13.2% walk rate and three homers allowed.

Speas pitched two innings with the Rangers in the majors last summer but split the remainder of the season between Double-A and Triple-A, where he punched out a combined 34.7% of his opponents but also issued walks at a 15.5% clip. He walked six of his 26 opponents with the White Sox during spring training. There’s no doubting the electricity of Speas’ raw arsenal, but he’s walked more than 18% of his opponents in pro ball. He’s in the second of three minor league option years.

Now that he’s been designated, Speas will spend up to a week in limbo while awaiting his fate. The A’s can use that window to find a trade partner, attempt to pass him through outright waivers, or release him.

Darell Hernaiz Makes Athletics’ Opening Day Roster

By Nick Deeds | March 25, 2024 at 11:43pm CDT

Infielder Darell Hernaiz will open the season in the majors, Oakland manager Mark Kotsay told reporters (including Jason Burke of Inside The A’s) this evening. Hernaiz was selected to the club’s 40-man roster back in November ahead of last year’s Rule 5 Draft, and his first appearance with the club this year will be his major league debut.

Hernaiz, 22, was a fifth-round pick by the Orioles in the 2019 draft and was swapped to the A’s in the deal that sent left-hander Cole Irvin to Baltimore last January. The youngster enjoyed something of a breakout campaign during his first season in Oakland last year as he slashed .321/.386/.456 in 131 games split between the Double- and Triple-A levels. Hernaiz offered little in the way of power as he hit just nine home runs last year, but the youngster showed impressive on-base skills with a fantastic 13.4% strikeout rate against a solid 8.9% walk rate. Hernaiz also has plus speed, as shown by his 54-for-64 record on the basepaths with the Orioles during the 2021 and 2022 seasons, though he swiped just 13 bags in 18 attempts with the A’s last year.

After splitting time between shortstop as well as second and third base during his time with the Orioles, Hernaiz has played shortstop almost exclusively with the A’s. In 2023, he made 13 appearances at the keystone and just one at the hot corner compared to a whopping 112 at shortstop. That changed this spring, however, as Hernaiz split time between his native shortstop and third base in hopes of improving his odds of making the big league roster due to the club’s vacancy out the hot corner. While the acquisition of veteran infielder J.D. Davis has plugged the gap at third in Oakland for the time being, the mid-spring addition didn’t stop the A’s from offering Hernaiz a spot on the big league roster to open the season after he hit a decent .313/.340/.333 during camp while striking out just 16.9% of the time across 53 spring at-bats.

Looking ahead to the regular season, Hernaiz figures to provide the A’s with a quality glove all around the infield off the bench, providing insurance behind Davis, shortstop Nick Allen, and second baseman Zack Gelof. The youngster’s high contract rates, solid plate discipline, and plus speed also figure to make him a useful bench piece who can be deployed as a pinch hitter and runner. Should injuries or ineffectiveness force a change in the club’s infield mix at some point in the season, Hernaiz figures to compete with fellow reserve infielder Abraham Toro for those reps, though it’s always possible a mid-season promotion for a prospect such as Jordan Diaz could change that calculus.

A’s Notes: Coliseum Negotiations, Clark, Hernaiz

By Nick Deeds | February 24, 2024 at 9:34pm CDT

As the A’s final season on their lease at the Oakland Coliseum kicks into gear, it remains unclear where the club will make its home from 2025 to 2027 while waiting for the club’s planned stadium in Las Vegas to be completed. A spokesperson for the A’s recently told Sam Blum of The Athletic that the club is willing to share the Coliseum with a pair of local soccer teams during the 2025 season and that negotiations regarding the Athletics’ short-term future in Oakland are ongoing.

The sides recently had their first meeting regarding extending the club’s stay in Oakland since the A’s announced their plan to relocate to Las Vegas last year. The club has a significant financial incentive to remain in the Bay Area for the 2025-27 campaigns, as staying in their current market would allow them to maintain their current TV deal, which Blum notes the A’s stand to receive $67MM annually from. A move to Salt Lake City or Sacramento, the other reported finalists for the A’s temporary home, would give NBC Sports California the ability to drop the deal.

That reality has brought the A’s back to the negotiating table with Oakland and, if the club’s reported willingness to share the stadium is any indication, accept at least some concessions in order to remain in Oakland for three more seasons. While the club has begun to attempt to negotiate a longer stay at their current stadium, it remains unclear how willing the city of Oakland is to compromise. Oakland mayor Sheng Thao has previously indicated that the A’s would not be welcome to remain in the Coliseum temporarily without significant concessions, up to and including the promise of an expansion franchise bringing baseball back to Oakland in the future. Thao’s camp seemingly remained committed to that stance as talks began last week, leaving the A’s odds of securing a temporary lease in Coliseum murky.

More from around the A’s and the city of Oakland…

MLB Players Association executive director Tony Clark recently spoke to reporters, including John Shea of the San Francisco Chronicle, regarding the club’s uncertain future. In his comments, Clark noted that “players had questions” about the future location of the A’s, while adding that “you would like to see come to some higher level of clarity” given the relatively short amount of time until a decision needs to be made. While the club’s lease in Oakland won’t expire until after the 2024 season comes to a close, the ambiguity over the A’s home in 2025 could complicate the creation of next year’s schedule, which Shea notes is meant to be available to teams in May. Once the A’s choose a location for the 2025-27 seasons, the location will require MLBPA approval. For his part, Clark indicated that there “may be things we need to address” regarding the A’s choice for an interim home regardless of whether the A’s remain in Coliseum or move to a minor league facility in Salt Lake City or Sacramento.
A’s infield prospect Darell Hernaiz figures to be on the big league radar at some point this season after he impressed with a .338/.393/.486 slash line in 71 games at the Double-A level last year before he went on to hold his own with a .300/.376/.418 triple slash in 60 games at the Triple-A level. Hernaiz has played shortstop almost exclusively throughout his professional career, making only brief cameos at second and third base. With the club likely to rely on Nick Allen at shortstop to open the season, however, Martin Gallegos of MLB.com relays that, per manager Mark Kotsay, Hernaiz will get regular reps at third base this spring. The hot corner could provide Hernaiz with a quicker path to the big leagues this season as the A’s are currently without a clear starting option at the position, with Abraham Toro standing as Hernaiz’s primary competition for the third base job to open the season barring any external additions.

Athletics Select Three Players To 40-Man Roster

By Darragh McDonald | November 14, 2023 at 2:11pm CDT

The Athletics announced that they have selected left-hander Brady Basso, right-hander Royber Salinas and infielder Darell Hernaiz to the 40-man roster. Today is the deadline to add Rule 5 eligible players and therefore prevent them from being selected by other clubs.

Hernaiz, 22, came over to the A’s from the Orioles in the Cole Irvin trade. In his time with the O’s, he had a speed and contact approach but with minimal power, trends that he carried over to his new organization. In 131 games, between Double-A and Triple-A this year, he hit just nine home runs but struck out in just 13.4% of his plate appearances and slashed .321/.386/.456 for a wRC+ of 117. Defensively, he primarily played shortstop but also saw time at second and third base.

Salinas, 23 in April, was one of five players that the A’s acquired in the three-team Sean Murphy trade. He tossed 67 1/3 innings at the Double-A level this year over 18 appearances, 16 starts, with a 5.48 earned run average. However, the underlying numbers were more encouraging than that ERA would indicate, as he struck out 30.9% of batters faced at that level. His 10.8% walk rate was a bit high but a low 59.9% strand rate perhaps pushed some extra runs across the board, which is why his 4.21 FIP was more than a full run better than his ERA.

Basso, 26, was selected by the A’s in the 16th round of the 2019 draft. Tommy John surgery wiped out his 2022 but he got back on the mound in 2023 and had some encouraging results. He tossed 63 1/3 innings between High-A and Double-A with a 2.42 ERA over 20 appearances, 17 starts. He struck out 26.3% of batters faced while walking 6.2%.

Baseball America currently ranks Hernaiz as the club’s #9 prospect, with Salinas at #17 while Basso doesn’t crack the top 30. The A’s are perhaps the club furthest from contention, so these players should have a chance to earn their way into major league opportunities if they are healthy and productive in future seasons.

Orioles Acquire Cole Irvin From A’s

By Darragh McDonald | January 26, 2023 at 11:59pm CDT

The Orioles have acquired left-handed pitcher Cole Irvin in a trade with the Athletics, per announcements from both clubs. Right-handed pitching prospect Kyle Virbitsky will also head to Baltimore while infield prospect Darell Hernaiz is heading to the A’s.

On one hand, this move comes as a surprise, since there had been no previous indication the A’s were shopping Irvin or that they were talking to the Orioles. On the other hand, it’s not shocking to see the club continue tearing down the roster, since they’ve been aggressively committed to that path for the past year. Matt Chapman, Matt Olson, Sean Manaea and Chris Bassitt were all traded just before the 2022 campaign, while Frankie Montas was dealt midseason and Sean Murphy this winter.

With the club seemingly willing to strip the roster down to the studs, any established Oakland player is at least a speculative trade candidate. There was no real rush to move Irvin, since he still had four years of club control remaining, but he will qualify for arbitration at the end of this season and would start to make a more significant salary. It appears that they received an offer they liked enough to pull the ripcord early and jettison Irvin from the roster in yet another future-focused move.

The Orioles have been looking for rotation upgrades all winter and were reportedly still on the hunt earlier this week. They haven’t been running out huge payrolls in recent years so Irvin’s low salary and years of cheap control were surely appealing to them. They made one modest upgrade to their rotation this offseason by signing veteran Kyle Gibson to a one-year, $10MM deal but have otherwise been quiet until today. Irvin will quickly become the club’s second-most experienced starter behind Gibson.

Irvin, 29 next week, was a Phillies’ draftee and made his MLB debut with them. He made 19 appearances over 2019 and 2020 but with a bloated 6.75 ERA in that time. But his minor league results were much better and the A’s took a shot by sending cash considerations to Philadelphia to get him. The change of scenery went very well for him, as he made 62 starts over the past two seasons with a 4.11 ERA over 359 1/3 innings.

This new change of scenery will have risk for the O’s, though. Irvin has succeeded in Oakland over the past couple of years with a low-strikeout, pitch-to-contact approach. He’s only walked 5.2% of the batters he’s faced over those two campaigns, which is a very strong number. For reference, the league average for starters last year was 7.5%. But he’s only punched out hitters at a 16.8% rate for Oakland, well below last year’s 21.6% league average. His 37.6% ground ball over that span was also a bit below par. That kind of profile has worked for him in the pitcher-friendly confines of Oakland Coliseum but might not be as effective in different conditions. It’s perhaps notable that Irvin has posted a 3.44 ERA at home over the past two years but a 4.88 mark outside of Oakland.

The O’s are apparently undeterred by those splits and have added Irvin to their starting mix, where he and Gibson should take two of the spots. The rest of the rotation will be less certain, with options like Kyle Bradish, Dean Kremer, Tyler Wells, Bruce Zimmermann, Mike Baumann and Spenser Watkins on the 40-man. Each of those guys have a bit of MLB experience but inconsistent results have prevented them from truly establishing themselves as big leaguers. There’s also Grayson Rodriguez, who is considered one of the best pitching prospects in the sport but he’s yet to make his MLB debut and missed most of last year due to a lat strain. John Means could be a factor down the line but likely not until midseason due to undergoing Tommy John surgery in April of last year. It’s a group with a lot of unknowns but the club will hope to get some reliability out of Irvin and Gibson while they sort through the rest and see who separates themselves from the pack. In addition to Irvin, the O’s will add Virbitsky to their system. The 24-year-old was a 17th round draft pick in 2021. He posted a 4.63 ERA last year between Class-A and High-A, striking out 25.7% of batters faced while walking 5.5%. He’ll add some starting depth to the lower levels of their system.

By letting go of Irvin and Virbitsky, the A’s are adding an intriguing young player in Hernaiz. The 21-year-old was a fifth-round selection of the O’s in 2019. Baseball America ranked him the #25 Orioles prospect going into 2020, highlighting his athleticism but noting that the lack of power could be an issue for him. That seems to have played out in his minor league time so far. After the minors were canceled in 2020, Hernaiz spent 2021 in Class-A, hitting six home runs in 94 games. He did steal 22 bases but his .277/.333/.358 batting line was a bit below average, with his wRC+ coming in at 92. In 2022, he shot up three levels, going from Class-A to High-A and Double-A. He got into 105 games between those three levels and stole 32 bases with 12 home runs. His combined batting line of .273/.341/.438 resulted in a 112 wRC+. He’s split his time between second base, third base and shortstop and will slot into Oakland’s infield prospect mix. He struggled in his first 13 Double-A games and will likely head back to that level to start this season. He’ll be Rule 5 eligible at the end of the upcoming season.

The O’s have plenty of infield prospects, with the likes of Gunnar Henderson, Coby Mayo, Joey Ortiz, Jackson Holliday, Jordan Westburg and Connor Norby some of the exciting youngsters in the system. It seems they felt they could part with Hernaiz and still be in good shape there, whereas the A’s have continued to bolster their farm by subtracting from their major league club. Without Irvin, their rotation will consist of offseason signees Shintaro Fujinami and Drew Rucinski, incumbents Paul Blackburn and James Kaprielian, as well as a huge pile of unestablished options who will be jockeying for playing time as the season rolls along.

Jeff Passan of ESPN reported the deal before the official announcement (Twitter links).

Image courtesy of USA Today Sports.

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