The A’s will make their long-awaited home debut tonight without closer Lou Trevino as well as veteran infielders Chad Pinder and Jed Lowrie after the team placed six players on the COVID-19 injured list earlier in the day.
Top prospect Nick Allen and Christian Lopes, both infielders, and reliever Sam Selman were called up as roster substitutions.
Also on the COVID-19 list are catcher Austin Allen and relievers AJ Puk and Kirby Snead. That trio already was on the restricted list and didn’t travel with the team to Toronto over the weekend for the final leg of a season-opening three-city trip, presumably because they are not vaccinated.
Outfielder Stephen Piscotty went on the COVID-19 injured list on Friday.
“For all of us, not just in the sports world, but in life, we definitely have been faced with some challenges,” manager Mark Kotsay said Monday. “I think the way you handle those challenges enables you to either get through ’em quicker and take it on and move forward. The game of baseball, any sport really, is a reflection of life. My message is always, hey, ‘Stay positive’ and optimism wins.”
Catcher Christian Bethancourt, infielder Drew Jackson and pitchers Ryan Castellani and Zach Logue were called up before the Toronto series as substitute players.
Despite the roster uncertainty and a challenging opening road trip, the A’s enter their home opener against the Baltimore Orioles with a 5-5 record.
Frankie Montas will be the A’s starter for the home opener. The A’s are the final team in the majors to make a home appearance this season. Houston also is making its home debut today, but about an hour and half before Montas’ first pitch at 6:40 p.m.
Today’s lineup vs. Orioles – April 18, 2022 at the Oakland Coliseum pic.twitter.com/ZdHfDMgjun
— Oakland A’s Communications (@AthleticsPR) April 18, 2022
Allen and Lopes will be making their major league debuts when they appear in a game.
Allen, 23, was the A’s third-round pick in the 2017 draft and helped Team USA win the silver medal at the Olympics last summer. He’s known for his superior defense, especially at shortstop, but was more than holding his own at the plate with Triple-A Las Vegas. Allen was hitting .319 with a home run and had scored nine runs over 12 games so far in 2022. He also had drawn six walks, an appealing attribute to a team that has drawn the seventh-fewest walks in the majors so far this season.
Lopes, 29, was batting .289 with three doubles for the Aviators. He joined the A’s as a minor league free agent this winter after stints with four other organizations.
“Whoever is in the lineup has to show up that night,” catcher Sean Murphy said of the roster moves. “Next guy up. It’s all we can do at this point. We’ve got a bunch of guys ready who can step in and produce right away.”
Selman, 31, pitched the Giants for parts of the past three seasons before being traded to the Angels in a deadline deal last season. The A’s claimed the left-hander off waivers from the Angles in March.
Staff writer Jerry McDonald contributed to this story.
Source: www.mercurynews.com