A's select Minor League righty in Rule 5 Draft

LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. -- The A's did not select or lose any players in the Major League phase of Thursday's Rule 5 Draft, but they were involved in the Minor League portion.

Oakland added a player to its organization in this phase and watched a pair of third basemen go elsewhere, as the A's took right-hander Tim Atherton off Minnesota's Double-A roster and lost Double-A Midland players Vince Catricala (Milwaukee) and Tony Thompson (Miami).

Atherton spent 2013 with Class A Cedar Rapids, going 8-5 with a 2.54 ERA in 31 games, including 11 starts. He averaged 9.6 strikeouts and 3.1 walks per nine innings, and he allowed just four home runs in 95 2/3 innings.

Catricala was initially acquired by the A's from the Mariners in June. He hit .221 with four home runs and 26 RBIs in 61 games for the RockHounds.

Thompson, a sixth-round pick by the A's in the 2010 First-Year Player Draft, spent 2013 with Class A Stockton, batting .250/.322/.428 with 18 home runs and 92 RBIs in 116 games, splitting his time between first base, third base and designated hitter.