The A’s announced tonight that they have placed six players – catchers Austin Alleninfielder jed lowrie and Chad Pinderand pitchers AJ Puk, Lou Trivino and Kirby Snead – on the COVID-19 injured list. infielder Nick Allen and Christian Lopes and relief Sam Selman have been added to the list as a COVID surrogate.
Austin Allen, Snead and Puk were already on the blacklist. That’s the procedure for players not vaccinated against COVID-19 for teams traveling to Toronto, where the A’s played a weekend series. They weren’t part of the 40-man roster at the time, which is why Oakland only brought on three substitutes today after losing Lowrie, Pinder and Trivino.
It’s not clear if the latter trio of players have tested positive or are out due to viral symptoms or contact tracing procedures. They join the outfielder Stephen Piscotty on the COVID IL where it landed last Friday. Under the league’s 2022 health and safety protocols, players who test positive are subject to a 10-day absence from the club, although it is possible to be reinstated in a shorter time if the player has gone 24 hours or more without a fever received a pair of negative PCR tests and approval from a team doctor and the MLB/MLBPA joint committee (a panel of one league-appointed doctor and one union-appointed doctor). Players who have symptoms but have not tested positive can return in less time if their symptoms subside.
Nick Allen, Lopes and Selman join the active roster as designated “substitutes”. The A’s will be able to send them back to Triple-A Las Vegas without having to pass Lopes or Selman – neither of whom were on the 40-man list – through waivers. All three players will at least get a big league look over the next few days as the A’s play without a few regulars due to health and safety protocols.
Allen will make his major league debut if/when he gets into a game. He was selected in the third round of a San Diego high school in 2017 and signed for a $2 million overslot bonus. He’s been one of the better prospects in the Oakland system ever since. Allen has appeared on Baseball America’s Top 30 Farmhands list every year since his draft and currently ranks 7th in the organization rankings. Rating his shortstop defense a rare 80 this winter, BA wrote that Allen could be a Gold Glove-caliber defender in the toughest infield position.
At just 5’8″ and 166 pounds, Allen predictably doesn’t have much to offer from a power standpoint. However, if he performs defensively, he doesn’t need to do much on the plate to be a viable starter. Allen has also posted a below-average strikeout rate at every minor league stop, and he’s gotten off to a good start in 12 games with Las Vegas. Even if his current promotion proves short, he could depose the veteran Elvis Andres sometime this year. Andrus hasn’t done much offensively in recent seasons, although he has scored very well in the first few weeks of this year.
Lopes is also ready for his first MLB call-up. The 29-year-old has played ten seasons in the minor leagues since being selected in the 7th round of the 2011 draft. A right-hander, Lopes owns a .265/.364/.422 line in parts of five triple-A campaigns. He has appeared in the Blue Jays, Rangers and Diamondbacks farm systems and signed a minor league contract with Oakland last offseason. He has experience at all four infield spots and both corner outfield positions, spending the overwhelming majority of that time at second base.