A's finalize 2022 Opening Day roster

With so many key players either traded away or departing via free agency, Oakland became a land of opportunity this spring for non-roster invitees in search of a spot in the big leagues.

Five of those non-roster invites will begin the season with the A’s. Right-handed pitchers Justin Grimm, Zach Jackson and Dany Jiménez, left-hander Jake Lemoine and outfielder/first baseman Billy McKinney were all added to the club’s Opening Day roster on Thursday.

Injuries to a couple of A’s pitchers opened up spots on the 40-man roster for a few of the new additions. Right-handers Deolis Guerra (sprained right UCL) and Brent Honeywell (stress reaction, right elbow) both were placed on the 60-day injured list to begin the season. Left-hander Sam Selman was also designated for assignment to clear another spot on the 40-man.

Here's how the roster looks for the A’s Opening Day matchup against the Phillies at Citizens Bank Park on Friday at 12:05 p.m. PT:

Catcher (3): Sean Murphy, Austin Allen, Stephen Vogt
Murphy is entrenched as the starter, coming off a year in which he captured the first Gold Glove Award of his young career. Allen, who has yet to see consistent big league time since coming over in a trade from the Padres in 2019, should get a chance to begin the year as a backup and valuable left-handed option off the bench. In addition to catcher, Vogt will likely also see time at first base and designated hitter in his return to Oakland.

First base (1): Jed Lowrie
Though he only has a career total of 28 innings at first base under his belt, Lowrie, who re-signed with the A’s last week, has been getting reps at the position and could see a good amount of time there. One of the final roster decisions came down to McKinney and Eric Thames, both of whom were getting time at first base this spring. Ultimately, McKinney’s versatility made him a better option for the A’s to start out, while Thames will continue his MLB comeback attempt at Triple-A Las Vegas.

Second base (2): Tony Kemp, Chad Pinder
Kemp is in line to become an everyday player for the first time in his career. It’s a deserved role after he responded to the most playing time he’d ever seen over a single season in 2021 by putting up career-highs in several offensive categories. Pinder will continue his role of super utility man, likely getting more time in the outfield.

Third base (2): Kevin Smith, Sheldon Neuse
Smith and Neuse both performed as two of the top hitters in the Cactus League. Both are versatile enough to play all around the infield, so they’ll likely see time at different positions this season.

Shortstop (1): Elvis Andrus
Andrus is one of the few remaining veteran leaders on this club and is expected to continue his everyday role at the position to start out. Not too far behind, though, is Nick Allen, Oakland’s No. 5 prospect per MLB Pipeline. Allen, who coupled his slick defense with a hot start at the plate this spring, should receive his first call to the Majors at some point this season.

Outfield (5): Seth Brown, Cristian Pache, Chad Pinder, Stephen Piscotty, Skye Bolt
This group will certainly change once Ramón Laureano finishes off the final 27 games left to serve on his suspension. Until then, Pache, one of the top prospects acquired from Atlanta in the Matt Olson trade, brings elite defense that gives him a good shot to be the center fielder come Opening Night. Brown and Pinder can both handle the corner infield spots. However, Kotsay has indicated that both are primarily being viewed as corner outfielders right now. Piscotty returned to Cactus League action after dealing with a shoulder issue earlier in spring, and will likely get the bulk of his playing time against left-handers.

Starting pitchers (5): Frankie Montas, Cole Irvin, Daulton Jefferies, Adam Oller, Paul Blackburn
Injuries, as well as last week’s trade of Sean Manaea to the Padres, opened a spot in the rotation for Oller, who has impressed A’s coaches since coming over from the Mets in the Chris Bassitt deal in March. Montas has seen his name floated around in trade rumors over the past month, but he’ll stick with the A’s to begin the season.

Relievers (9): Lou Trivino, Domingo Acevedo, A.J. Puk, Sam Moll, Zach Jackson, Dany Jiménez, Justin Grimm, Jacob Lemoine, Kirby Snead
Trivino, Acevedo, Puk and Moll are the only relievers who saw time with the A’s last year. The rest of the bullpen is made up of newcomers, including a pair of intriguing power arms in Jackson and Jiménez who appear suited for late-inning roles.