Taylor stays with A's after clearing waivers

OAKLAND -- The A's thought they had seen the last of Michael Taylor when they were forced to designate the outfielder for assignment on the final day of camp, despite a great Spring Training performance. But he remains theirs, after all.

Taylor cleared waivers on Wednesday and was outrighted to Triple-A Sacramento, where he'll begin his fifth season with the River Cats and provide Oakland additional outfield depth.

"I was kind of surprised with the spring that he had, but you know what? We're certainly glad to still have him in our organization," said manager Bob Melvin. "As a person, I wanted to see him get a Major League opportunity. But as someone who works for the A's, I like to see him in our organization."

Taylor hit just .135 in 74 at-bats over five stints at the big league level but excelled this spring, batting .274 with three home runs and 10 RBIs in 27 games, which is why outside interest was expected to be higher than ever for him.

The 28-year-old is a career .292/.375/.470 hitter in 766 Minor League games.