This story was excerpted from Martín Gallegos’ A’s Beat newsletter. To read the full newsletter, click here. And subscribe to get it regularly in your inbox.
The highly anticipated callups of top prospects Tyler Soderstrom and Zack Gelof to Oakland last week generated the most buzz, but those were not the only notable promotions that took place within the A’s organization.
The club bumped several top prospects up one level throughout the system. Lawrence Butler (Oakland’s No. 7 prospect), Brett Harris (No. 12) and Darell Hernaiz (No. 14) were promoted from Double-A Midland to Triple-A Las Vegas. Max Muncy, the A’s No. 6 prospect, was promoted from High-A Lansing to Double-A Midland.
Butler, 23, slashed .285/.352/.465 with 10 homers, 17 doubles, two triples, 47 RBIs and 13 stolen bases in 67 games with Midland.
In his second game with Las Vegas, Butler made his presence felt by launching an impressive 466-foot homer.
“Super excited for Lawrence,” A’s general manager David Forst said during his weekly segment on A’s Cast. “He had a great first half, got to show off a little bit in the [All-Star] Futures Game and has hit the ground running in Vegas. That’s a good park to make your Triple-A debut in, and he took full advantage of it.”
Hernaiz, acquired from the Orioles this offseason as part of the Cole Irvin deal, slashed .338/.393/.486 with 20 doubles, five homers and 43 RBIs in 71 games for Midland. The 21-year-old's success has carried over to Vegas, where he is hitting .320 with a homer and double through his first seven games.
“Darell has a knack for the barrel and for finding hits,” Forst said. “We knew he was athletic when he came over. We knew he was a little raw at short, but we felt like the bat was going to carry him. He’s fun to watch and has done a really nice job all year.”
Harris, 25, earned his move to Triple-A after hitting .283 with 16 doubles, five homers and 48 RBIs in 69 games with Midland while also providing stellar defense at third base.
“Brett Harris is Spencer Steer-esque,” A's assistant GM and director of player personnel Billy Owens said. “More substance than style to his game and he can contribute in numerous ways.”