Vogt called up, makes A's debut

OAKLAND -- The A's took advantage of some roster flexibility by bringing up catcher Stephen Vogt from Triple-A Sacramento on Tuesday.

Vogt took the roster spot of right-hander Dan Straily, who was optioned to Sacramento on Sunday because the A's won't need a fifth starter until July 5 as the result of three off-days over an eight-day span.

Vogt, 28, was immediately inserted into the starting lineup for Oakland's opener of a two-game set with the Reds, behind the plate catching lefty Tommy Milone while batting eighth and looking for his first big league hit after going 0-for-25 spanning three stints with the Rays in his debut last year.

"I've lived with that for six months now," Vogt said, smiling. "Talked a lot about it, answered a lot of questions about it. Now it's a new chapter with a new team.

"It was 25 at-bats over a several months, and it wasn't like an 0-for-25 in one week. It was pinch-hits, and obviously I had good at-bats -- didn't punch out, hit the ball hard, just didn't have them fall. I'm fortunate to be back in the big leagues, and hopefully I'm talking to you about my first hit tonight."

Vogt had plenty of hits in Sacramento, where he was batting .325 with nine home runs and 43 RBIs in 58 games from the left side at the time of his promotion. He also tossed out 19 of 47 attempted basestealers.

"I know what I'm capable of, and I'm fortunate to be feeling good," said Vogt, with six family members in tow for his A's debut. "I made a few adjustments with my timing, and things have just been going well."

"He's done a great job all year down there, whether it's offensively or defensively," manager Bob Melvin said. "My understanding is he does a nice job with the pitchers, and you see the numbers, as far as swinging the bat. It's good to finally get a look at him."

The A's now have three catchers in tow, but one is dinged up and another is struggling. John Jaso, still nursing a left palm abrasion, was scratched from the lineup on Tuesday and isn't considered to be available for a start for a couple days, according to Melvin. Then there's Derek Norris, who's hitting .188 this season.

"We'll use D-No the way we see fit, and we'll basically go day-to-day with it," Melvin said. "He wants to get in there and get through this. So it's not like he's looking forward to the time off to work on some things. He wants to play and get out of it because he is a guy that can be an offensive force."