The Athletics spent the final day of the All-Star break remaking the edges of their roster, and the headline move cut a veteran starter loose: Aaron Civale was designated for assignment Wednesday, one of seven transactions the club filed before the second half opens Friday at home against Washington.
Civale gave the A’s 74 2/3 innings across 16 appearances, 15 of them starts, with a 5.42 ERA and a 5-7 record. On a staff whose 5.21 ERA entered the break next-to-last in the majors, he was neither the biggest problem nor any part of the long-term answer, and the front office chose the 40-man spot over the innings. The club now has a week to trade him, pass him through waivers or release him.
The rest of Wednesday’s business pointed young: left-hander Brady Basso was recalled from Las Vegas, right-hander Yunior Tur had his contract selected, and infielder Donovan Walton was activated, while Joey Meneses, Mason Barnett and Brian Serven headed to Triple-A. Two pitching additions arriving days after the club dismissed pitching coach Scott Emerson gives interim pitching coach Dan Hubbs fresh arms to audition across the 66 games that remain.
The context is grim and worth stating plainly. The A’s carried nine straight losses into the break, have dropped 17 of their last 20, and sit 41-55, eight games out in the AL West. The skid also got more expensive on the injury front: Zack Gelof went on the 10-day injured list July 10 with a right knee laceration, and Nick Kurtz followed a day later with a right thumb capsule sprain. Neither has been activated yet.
For fantasy purposes, Civale can be dropped in every format unless a contender claims him into a friendlier park. Basso and Tur are AL-only fliers until roles emerge. Kurtz is the name that matters: if you have an IL slot, stash him and wait for grip-strength news rather than guessing at a timeline, because thumb injuries have a way of following hitters back into the box.
