GLENDALE, Ariz. -- Lawrence Butler has done all he can to prepare himself for the regular season as best he can under the restrictions placed on him this spring, but there really is no true substitute for game action against Major League pitching.
After countless at-bats in live batting practices and Minor League games, Butler finally made his Cactus League debut Tuesday afternoon. He went hitless in three at-bats as the designated hitter for the Athletics in a 6-4 loss to the White Sox at Camelback Ranch, but most important on day one for Butler was making sure he got through the first game healthy, which he did.
“I felt good,” Butler said. “It was a DH day, so a lot of sitting around. But overall, I felt good.”
The real test for his surgically repaired right knee will come later in the week, when Butler is expected to play right field for the first time in a spring game. That is tentatively planned for Friday night against the Cubs. Before then, he’ll get another game as the designated hitter on Thursday against the Mariners.
The game reps will be limited for Butler with less than a week left before the A’s break camp. When it comes to his status for Opening Day in Toronto on March 27 against the Blue Jays, however, manager Mark Kotsay said Butler has had enough at-bats to be ready to go for the start of the season.
What remains to be seen is how the A’s will manage Butler’s workload early on. As good as he feels running the bases and tracking down fly balls in workouts without any pain, the training staff has taken a cautious approach to his buildup to games, and that approach could carry into the regular season.
“I think he’s in a good spot,” Kotsay said. “This knee, we don’t want this to be a lingering issue. We want this to be behind him, not just for this season, but for his career, really.
“In regard to the timelines and how we’re going to manage him, we’re looking at this long-term as opposed to short-term. … We’re going to continue this process through the start of the season, really. For Lawrence, I’m sure there can be times of frustration. But he understands it and we’re going to do our best to maximize his playing time as we start this thing.”
That could mean more days off for Butler in April than he’d probably like, with some DH appearances sprinkled in. It’s not an ideal start to his year as the 25-year-old outfielder looks to bounce back from an up-and-down 2025 campaign in which he hit .234 with 21 home runs and 22 stolen bases while dealing with the knee issue, but Butler is maintaining his patience and sticking to the process set forth by the team.
“I feel normal,” Butler said. “I don’t feel any pain. I don’t feel like I didn’t get enough at-bats this spring. … I just have to trust the staff and the coaches with the plan they made for me. Continue to work hard and get back to fully 100% so I can play for my teammates.”
Medina boosts his case
In his fifth appearance this spring, right-hander Luis Medina tossed a scoreless sixth against the White Sox, showing off a blazing sinker that maxed out at 99.8 mph and averaged 98.4 mph throughout the inning.
Making his way back from Tommy John surgery that sidelined him for nearly 20 months, Medina has looked healthy throughout spring as the A’s get a look at him in a relief role. Even with some shaky command at times, Medina, who is out of Minor League options, is making a strong case to land a bullpen spot on the A’s Opening Day roster.