OAKLAND -- The A’s second-base competition will now have a bit more clarity entering Summer Camp.

In the first trade since baseball officially returned from its stoppage due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the A’s sent infielder Jorge Mateo to the Padres on Tuesday for a player to be named later.

The move is the second between the two clubs since the winter. The A’s previously worked with the Padres on a December deal that sent second baseman Jurickson Profar to San Diego in exchange for catcher Austin Allen and Minor League outfielder Buddy Reed.

The A’s were in a tough spot entering Spring Training with Mateo, their No. 7 prospect per MLB Pipeline. Given that the shortstop was out of Minor League options, the A’s would have had to place Mateo on waivers were he not to make the Opening Day roster. With a logjam of options for second base that also included Tony Kemp, Franklin Barreto and Vimael Machín, Mateo was an expendable piece despite his impressive 2019 campaign at Triple-A Las Vegas that earned him Oakland’s Minor League Hitter of the Year honors from MLB Pipeline.

One of three players acquired in the 2017 deal from the Yankees in exchange for Sonny Gray, Mateo is considered to be one of the fastest players in baseball. He’s swiped 283 bases over eight Minor League seasons and re-upped his stock as a prospect last season in Las Vegas after slashing .289/.330/.504 with 19 home runs, 29 doubles, 14 triples and 78 RBIs.