The A’s are set to add third baseman Jake Lamb as injuries continue to pile up
Been quite the 24 hours for the A’s on the injury front. And not in a good way.
Saturday morning, Matt Chapman was declared out for the season after visiting a hip specialist. Sunday morning, Chad Pinder (hamstring) was officially placed on the 10-day disabled list after being scratched in Game 2 of Saturday’s doubleheader.
The front office didn’t wait long to fill the roster. Late Saturday night, Shayna Rubin of the Bay Area News Group tweeted that the A’s are expected to sign veteran third baseman Jake Lamb on Monday.
I’ve heard from multiple sources that the A’s are signing former Arizona Diamondbacks 3B Jake Lamb.
— Shayna Rubin (@ShaynaRubin) September 13, 2020
The Diamondbacks designated Lamb for assignment on Thursday and he’s expected to clear waivers (72-hour process) to join the A’s in time for Monday’s doubleheader in Seattle. Lamb is from Seattle and also played his college ball for the University of Washington on nearby Montlake.
Without Pinder, A’s manager Bob Melvin was left with options like Tommy La Stella (starting Sunday) and Vimael Machin. Top prospect Sheldon Neuse would also be eligible to be added. Lamb figures to get right in the mix immediately, despite his rough numbers at the plate.
Since his All-Star campaign of 2017, Lamb is batting below The Mendoza Line (.199) in 152 games. He’s slashing .199/.307/.330 in that span. Yikes. It’s been even worse this season, as he has just 5 hits in 43 at-bats (.116 average) with a single RBI. His teammates even joked to save the ball.
Jake Lamb’s lone RBI of the year? Given up by Sweet Lou Trivino on Aug. 18. pic.twitter.com/PMVRFMnyh6
— The Rickey Henderson of Blogs (@RickeyBlog) September 13, 2020
But he flashed major power potential across the 2016-17 seasons, averaging 30 dingers, 98 RBIs with a .248/.345/.498 slash line. So the A’s are hoping to turn back the hands of time here.
It’s crazy how decimated they’ve got at the hot corner in such a short period of time. But Lamb would be eligible to play in the postseason so long as he’s on the roster by Tuesday’s Sept. 15 deadline.
For Lamb, he’s gotta be lovin’ it. The D-backs (17-30) are in the NL West cellar and the A’s are looking at a magic number of 9. He’ll be poppin’ bubbly in no time!
