After a day of speculation, the Oakland Athletics have made a big move. As the rosters expand in September, Oakland’s number three prospect Sean Murphy will be joining the team.
As reported by Martin Gallegos, Murphy will officially join the major league club as the A’s wrap up their series against the Yankees in New York.
The Crew
While Murphy is undoubtedly the most notable piece moving up at the moment, he’s not the only call-up for Oakland. Joining Murphy in the ascent will be infielder Franklin Barreto and right-handed pitcher Paul Blackburn.
Barreto, who came up alongside the likes of Matt Chapman, has seen MLB playing time in each of the past three seasons. The lure of Barreto is more in his potential as he has yet to find his stride at the Major League level. Through 74 games and 199 plate appearances, Barreto has a .188 batting average with an OPS+ of just 61.
Blackburn, the 56th overall pick in the 2012 MLB amateur draft, will most likely be utilized in a relief role. That will come in handy as the A’s will most likely go to a modified six-man rotation with Sean Manaea coming off of the injured list. Blackburn has just over 89 MLB innings pitched under his belt including three innings in the 2019 season. He’s sporting a 4.5 strikeout per nine rate with a 1.354 WHIP.
Murphy
Of course, the big name on the call-up list is Sean Murphy. The 2016 third-round draft pick has had a roller coaster of a season in 2019. Murphy underwent surgery in May for a torn meniscus but has since come back strong sporting a slash line of .308/.386/.625 in 31 Pacific Coast League games. Overall through four minor league seasons, Murphy has found a way to be productive in bunches with 91 extra-base hits and 129 total RBI.
Murphy will officially join the team Sunday, and with that, prospects James Kaprielian and Grant Holmes will be called up to Triple-A Las Vegas.
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