With second baseman Mark Ellis set to come off the disabled list
Wednesday, Oakland Athletics manager Bob Melvin said first baseman
Daric Barton will be optioned to Triple-A Sacramento to make roster
room. The move doesn’t come as a shock considering Barton is
hitting .212 and has lost playing time since Melvin took over as
manager June 9.
NEW YORK
With second baseman Mark Ellis set to come off the disabled list Wednesday, Oakland Athletics manager Bob Melvin said first baseman Daric Barton will be optioned to Triple-A Sacramento to make roster room.
The move doesn’t come as a shock considering Barton is hitting .212 and has lost playing time since Melvin took over as manager June 9.
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“I’ve talked to him. He’s changed his attitude, he’s been positive,” Melvin said after a 7-3 victory over the New York Mets. “It’s a chance to go down and clear his head. I think he’s going to be a big piece for us down the road — this season.”
Barton hadn’t homered in 65 games as a first baseman, the longest season-opening homerless streak by a major league first baseman since Al Oliver went 101 games for the Giants and Phillies in 1984.
“It is what it is,” Barton said. “I didn’t produce.”
Conor Jackson will see most of the time at first, Melvin said.
Ellis is ready to return from a hamstring strain, but it appears rookie Jemile Weeks will remain the starting second baseman.
“If Jemile is here, he’s going to play some,” Melvin said. “He’s played well to this point.”
A common school of thought is that starters don’t lose their jobs due to injury. But it’s hard to imagine Weeks coming out of the lineup. He is hitting .362 in 13 games since his call-up, providing an energy that’s been key in the A’s six-game winning streak.
What is Ellis’ role if he’s not the everyday second baseman?
“We’ll sit down and talk about that,” Melvin said. “We do have some moving parts, guys that can play different positions and so forth.”
— Ellis’ name also is surfacing in trade talk. A published report Tuesday said the Giants inquired about Ellis over the weekend.
A’s assistant general manager David Forst had no comment on whether the A’s have held discussions on Ellis, who is making $6 million this season.
“You’ve read the same things I have,” Forst said with a smile.
— Right-hander Tyson Ross (strained oblique) went to Phoenix and was scheduled to face hitters from the A’s rookie league team Tuesday.
— Melvin, who has a home in Manhattan, stayed at his place Monday night while his daughter, Alexi, visited.
— Story by Joe Stiglich, Contra Costa Times
