Gearrin among 8 to join A's expanded roster

OAKLAND -- The A's added eight players when rosters expanded Saturday, including new acquisition Cory Gearrin, who is eager to join a jam-packed bullpen.
Other additions include: outfielder Matt Joyce, reinstated from the disabled list; infielder Franklin Barreto; catching prospect Beau Taylor, readying for his big league debut; and relievers Chris Hatcher, Danny Coulombe, Dean Kiekhefer and Liam Hendriks, who was elected to start Saturday's game.
The roster shakeup included a notable subtraction, too, with catcher Bruce Maxwell, whose tumultuous tenure with the A's included an arrest, being designated for assignment.
Maxwell made the A's Opening Day roster as a backup to Jonathan Lucroy but saw limited action and hit just .182 in 18 games before being optioned to Triple-A Nashville on June 7. His bat never picked up, though; Maxwell was batting .224 with a lone home run in 50 games for the Sounds, while Taylor -- a fifth-round selection of the A's in 2011 -- hit .248 with a .360 on-base percentage and provided steady defense.
The A's have 10 days to trade, release or pass Maxwell through waivers. He was indicted by a grand jury on charges of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon and disorderly conduct after allegedly pointing a gun at a food delivery worker outside of his home in Scottsdale, Ariz., in October, and in April he reached a plea agreement with the state of Arizona, pleading guilty to disorderly conduct. He was placed on probation and is to perform community service.
"The move was not made with any significance toward that," A's manager Bob Melvin said.
"We'll see if he's picked up or whatever. Beau has done a really nice job and come a long way in our organization. We felt it was the right thing to do to promote him, and he's earned it. Obviously someone has to come off the roster, and that was Maxy. He's still a young guy, he's still got a lot of talent, so we'll see where that goes."
Gearrin, who combined for a 3.51 ERA in 56 appearances between San Francisco and Texas, is one of 14 relievers the A's have at their disposal.
"I had to call my wife and tell her we were moving again, but she was really excited to be coming back," Gearrin said. "The Bay Area was home for a while for us, so getting to come back here to a team that's playing as well as the A's, it's really exciting for me professionally and personally.
"This team's just got a vibe going right now, and you can tell. I told the skip, whatever they need. Clearly this bullpen is special."
Said Melvin: "He could go early, he could go late. It's all up in the air right now. We'll see as we go along."