A's Minor League Catcher Options While Shea Langeliers is Out

The A's will have a decision to make at catcher before their road trip to Philadelphia

Mar 7, 2026; Mesa, Arizona, USA; Athletics catcher Brian Serven (10) celebrates with teammates after hitting a two run home run against the Chicago Cubs in the third inning at Sloan Park. Mandatory Credit: Rick Scuteri-Imagn Images | Rick Scuteri-Imagn Images

With Shea Langeliers and his wife welcoming their first child into the world on Sunday morning, Tyler Soderstrom is serving as the A's emergency catcher with Austin Wynns getting the start. The question now becomes what the A's will do in the interim while Langeliers is away.

According to the rule book, a player has between one and three days to be with his family after the birth of their child. The one catch here is that the player that the A's call up has to be on the 40-man roster. The A's only 40-man catchers are Wynns and Langeliers, but they have an open roster spot, which will limit the complications.

So who are the other options for the A's to consider?

A's minor league catchers

Apr 3, 2024; Columbus, OH, USA; Columbus Clippers catcher Bryan Lavastida (27) warms up prior to the chilly Opening Day game against the Omaha Storm Chasers at Huntington Park. | Adam Cairns / USA TODAY NETWORK

Technically the A's have three options on the Las Vegas Aviators' roster to choose from, though 34-year-old veteran Chad Wallach has played in just eight games, getting 28 at-bats and batting .250 with a .344 on-base percentage in that span.

The two main options for the A's to choose between will be Brian Serven, who has more big-league experience, and Bryan Lavastida, who could have more upside.

Serven has played in 17 games this season, batting .274 with a .375 OBP, a homer, eight doubles, and seven RBI. That comes out to a 109 wRC+ (100 is league average) in the hitter-friendly Pacific Coast League.

He last played in the majors with the Toronto Blue Jays in 2024, getting into 28 games and batting .159 with a .243 OBP, good for a 37 wRC+ in 71 plate appearances. He spent last year in the Detroit Tigers system and hit .232 with a .335 OBP and three homers in 62 Triple-A games.

The other option is Lavastida, who last appeared in the majors in 2022 with the Cleveland Guardians for his only run in the big leagues. He received 15 plate appearances and hit .083 with a .267 OBP.

He was released by the Houston Astros in August of last season, and joined the Aviators not long after. He ended up playing 23 games with Vegas down the stretch, batting .348 with a .404 OBP and four home runs. In last year's Triple-A Championship, he was the one who drilled a go-ahead three-run homer in the top of the ninth that put his team up 7-6.

The Aviators would end up losing 8-7, but Lavastida had a huge hit in as big of a moment as you can have in Triple-A.

This season he has hit .254 with a .338 OBP, a homer and three stolen bases.

Serven has the experience and the hotter bat this season. That said, Lavastida has been a solid backstop in his own right, and arguably has more pop. The question here is what the A's are looking for in this role for a couple of days. Do they want a defense-first option? If so, Serven is probably their guy.

However, if they plan to start Wynns every game that Langeliers misses and Lavastida could be a pinch-hit option, perhaps that is the route they choose to take. It could all come down to which player fit with the clubhouse best during spring training. The move is unlikely to be announced before Tuesday's game in Philadelphia.