With the Athletics mired in a nine-game losing streak and sitting in last place in the AL West with a 22-29 record, they've made an exciting roster move. They've promoted one of their top prospects, Denzel Clarke, to the majors, according to ESPN's Jeff Passan.
Clarke, the A's No. 5 prospect according to MLB Pipeline, is known for his defense and speed, but has had a strong year with the bat thus far, slashing .288/.436/.419 in 31 games for Triple-A Las Vegas. He hasn't hit a home run this season, but he's driven in 21 runs and has stolen seven bases.
While the A's hope he can provide a spark, this move likely signals that another player the team was high on entering the year, JJ Bleday, might be in for a reduced role or even a demotion back to Triple-A.
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Athletics might've reached breaking point with JJ Bleday based on Denzel Clarke promotion
If Clarke is going to hit, this move is a slam dunk. His defense, as Passan said, is excellent. If he can hit, he has the potential to be a really good center fielder for a long time. While it's exciting to see him in the majors, it's safe to wonder what the A's are going to do with Bleday.
Again, Bleday had a good amount of hype entering the year. He hit 20 home runs and 43 doubles while driving in 60 runs and posting a .762 OPS in 159 games for the A's last season. He had a 120 OPS+, making him 20 percent above the league average. This season, though, things have gone entirely downhill.
Bleday entered Thursday's action slashing .202/.292/.368 with six home runs and 18 RBI in 46 games. He began the year hitting third, and is now routinely hitting in the lower-third of the team's order. In Tuesday's game, Bleday actually hit ninth, which is mind-boggling for a player who was as productive as he was last season.
The A's can conceivably stick with him and hope he eventually gets going, but with Tyler Soderstrom and Lawrence Butler manning the corner outfield spots just about every day and Brent Rooker locked in as the designated hitter, that's probably unlikely, assuming the A's called Clarke up to be their everyday center fielder. At this point, Bleday will either be the team's fourth outfielder or get sent down to Triple-A.
It has been quite the fall from grace for the 27-year-old. He looked like a core piece of this team entering the year, but has fallen almost completely out of favor in record time. If Clarke can stick in center field, Bleday simply doesn't have a spot with the A's.