Former New York Yankee Urshela Headed to IL

It was also reported on Thursday evening by Jeff Passan of ESPN that the A's are calling up No. 5 prospect Denzel Clarke. There is a chance that this is the corresponding move for Urshela landing on the IL, but Urshela plays third, while the addition of Clarke would give the A's yet another outfielder on the roster with less depth on the infield.

It's more likely that the A's will have a separate move for the Clarke call-up. In looking at the available options on the 40-man roster, and who ended up playing for the Aviators on Thursday night, it would seem as though the answer to that question is CJ Alexander. The other options on the 40-man are Brett Harris (on the IL), Darell Hernaiz (played), and Max Muncy (played).

Alexander, 28, has spent most of his time this season split between first and third base, and was acquired off waivers from the Kansas City Royals last season in September. This year he's batting .252 with a .348 OBP and a 104 wRC+ (100 is league average), and he's been walking at a 13% clip.

Alexander made his MLB debut last season with Kansas City, getting into four games with the Royals and going 1-for-8 at the plate. The expectation would be that he would serve as a bench bat most days, and provide another left-handed option to use in a pinch.

The A's have been using another former Yankee, Miguel Andujar, at third base of late, though he hasn't graded out well there according to Baseball Savant, earning -3 Outs Above Average in limited action. The idea with moving Andujar to third came about because the A's called up No. 1 prospect Nick Kurtz, and subsequently needed to move their best hitter at the time off of first base.

Soderstrom landed in left field, and that ate into Andujar's playing time, even though he was swinging the bat well. He said that the coaches came up to him and asked if he'd like to play more often, and if he'd like to play third to get him on the field. He obviously said yes.

The loss of Urshela doesn't impact the A's roster too much in the short-term, the way things are currently constructed, but he's a solid guy to have in the clubhouse, and that could be missed a bit when the A's go off on the road next week.