The Athletics are recalling outfield prospect Lawrence Butler, reports Martín Gallegos of MLB.com. It’s his first big league promotion. Butler was added to the 40-man roster over the offseason, so the club will only need to make a corresponding active roster move.
That figures to be the placement of Tony Kemp on the paternity list, as Gallegos notes the veteran utility player is headed to Nashville for the birth of his second child.
Butler, 23, was a sixth-round draftee out of an Atlanta high school five years ago. It was an upside play on a 6-foot-3 outfielder with significant power potential. He started slowly in his pro career but had a breakout showing in Low-A coming out of the canceled season.
Butler continued to perform well in High-A last season, leading the A’s to select his contract to ensure they wouldn’t lose him in the Rule 5 draft.
He has spent the majority of this season at Double-A Midland. The lefty-swinging Butler hit .285/.352/.465 with 10 homers, 13 steals and a solid 18.9% strikeout percentage in 318 plate appearances.
He was tabbed to participate in this summer’s Futures Game and bumped up to Triple-A Las Vegas thereafter. Butler has hit .281/.340/.512 in 22 games since getting moved to the top minor league level.
The Oakland front office was sufficiently pleased with those results to give him his first big league call. Whether the A’s are simply giving Butler a cup of coffee in Kemp’s absence or plan to afford him regular run from here on out remains to be seen.
He has experience at all three outfield spots but is generally viewed as best suited for the corner outfield or first base. With Esteury Ruiz back to man center field, Butler seems likely to mix into the corners alongside Seth Brown, Brent Rooker and JJ Bleday.
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