Zito not among remaining A's callups
Former Cy Young winner went 8-7 in 24 appearances at Triple-A
OAKLAND -- The A's are expected to promote two more players from Triple-A Nashville on Tuesday, now that the Sounds' season has concluded, but veteran lefty Barry Zito won't be one of them.
Around the same time Oakland manager Bob Melvin confirmed that Zito won't be among the remaining September callups, Nashville manager Steve Scarsone shared in a radio interview that outfielder Craig Gentry and corner infielder Max Muncy were on their way to Oakland.
Zito, who inked a Minor League deal with the club that drafted him in 1999, spent the entire year in Nashville hoping to impress enough to warrant another big league opportunity. He went 8-7 with a 3.46 ERA in 24 games (22 starts) -- including a scoreless inning of relief on Sunday, his first appearance since returning from a shoulder injury that put him on the disabled list for a month.
That could potentially be the final professional appearance for the former Cy Young winner, now 37, though Zito's insistence on coming back from his injury and pitching again this season could signal he's not done.
"Getting back and pitching an inning, I'm sure makes him feel a little bit better," Melvin said. "It [proves to] other clubs and us that he was able to come back and pitch and end the season healthy."
Unlike Zito, Muncy and Gentry are already on the 40-man roster.