Athletics Acquire Intriguing Power Hitter in Post-Deadline Move

The Athletics added organizational outfield depth Thursday by claiming 26-year-old Johnathan Rodríguez off waivers from the Pittsburgh Pirates and optioning him to Triple-A Las Vegas.

To open a 40-man roster spot, Oakland transferred Tyler Soderstrom to the 60-day injured list ahead of his season-ending hip surgery.

Rodríguez has been a well-traveled player in 2026. A third-round pick of the Cleveland Guardians in 2017 out of Puerto Rico, he was designated for assignment by Cleveland in March, traded to the Baltimore Orioles, designated again in late July, and sent to Pittsburgh for cash.

The Pirates designated him on August 17 after he spent a few weeks in their system without appearing in a major-league game.

The draw for the Athletics is Rodríguez’s consistent power production in the minors. Over 1,403 Triple-A plate appearances across recent seasons, he has hit 62 home runs while posting a strong 12.5 percent walk rate.

In 2024, he earned International League MVP honors after slashing .301/.390/.540 with 29 homers and 94 RBI in 118 games for Columbus. He followed it with another productive year in 2025, hitting .312/.397/.515 with 16 home runs.

This season he has continued to hit at Triple-A, posting a .287/.381/.415 line with six home runs in 77 games between Norfolk and Indianapolis. His career minor-league résumé includes well over 100 home runs, underscoring the raw thump that has kept teams interested despite his struggles to translate it to the majors.

Those major-league results remain modest. In 51 career games split between Cleveland and Baltimore, Rodríguez is hitting .177 with two home runs and 17 RBI. He went 2-for-11 in a short stint with the Orioles this year and did not appear in a game for Pittsburgh.

The claim is a low-risk addition. Rodríguez is still optionable for the remainder of 2026 and has less than a year of service time, giving the Athletics cheap, controllable upside if the power finally clicks at the big-league level.

With Soderstrom sidelined and other injuries affecting the outfield, Las Vegas provides a landing spot for him to stay sharp and potentially earn a late-season look.

The move is typical of the Athletics’ approach to adding depth via the waiver wire during a difficult season.

Whether Rodríguez can finally turn his intriguing minor-league power into consistent major-league production will determine if this latest stop becomes more than a brief organizational stopover.