Athletics Designate Veteran Southpaw for Assignment
In this story:
On the Athletics' off-day prior to their series at home against the Miami Marlins, the team has elected to designate left-hander Matt Krook for assignment.
This move comes as the A's have reinstated southpaw Jose Suarez from the paternity list. With the move, Suarez and Hogan Harris are the only two lefties in the team's arm barn.
Jose Suarez has been reinstated from the paternity list.
— Dylan Quinn (@dylanq_2) July 3, 2026
Matt Krook has been designated for assignment.#Athletics
The team has been decimated by injuries this season and has just lost two key hitters in Tyler Soderstrom and Jacob Wilson.
Then, just days ago, it was announced that Brent Rooker would be out for the remainder of the season after undergoing knee surgery. Not only does it kill the team's offense, but they'll also be without one of their leaders.
Losing Matt Krook Hurts
The A's haven't really relied on Krook much over the last two seasons, but losing a veteran southpaw could really hurt the bullpen in the upcoming series.
As mentioned, the A's only have Harris and Suarez as the two lefties in the bullpen. Suarez has been deployed more as a long-relief pitcher than as a situational lefty like Harris is.
Jose Suarez entered the 7th inning with a perfect game and now the Angels are losing thanks to this Nate Lowe home run pic.twitter.com/YwhLcoYUI2
— Talkin' Baseball (@TalkinBaseball_) October 2, 2022
This is going to be an issue for a manager like Mark Kotsay, who relies heavily on the matchups. If the A's get into a couple of late-inning close games, they could need to deploy more than one lefty in each game.
They can't do that when Suarez is pitching long relief, and Harris simply cannot pitch on a daily basis. The team has CD Pelham in Triple-A, and he has proven he could join this big league staff soon if needed.
The A's Need Outside Help for Their Bullpen
It's unfortunate to say, but the A's absolutely need help in their bullpen, and it feels like they might not have their possible replacement in their organization right now.
Luckily for the A's, there's still a month until the trade deadline, and the team can get its paws on some bullpen help if it plans to bolster its staff before hopefully making a run in October baseball.
We've mentioned JoJo Romero as a possible fit for the A's. Romero pitches for the Cardinals, and they might look to ship off some of their rentals if they believe they won't be able to retain them past free agency.
Cardinals fans were dead set on wanting to move JoJo Romero for pieces at the trade deadline last year. Now, he's a key piece holding that bullpen together
— Baseball Unstitched (@BaseUnstitched) June 26, 2026
Romero is the league leader in Holds (19), an oft forgotten stat, but one we find rather important pic.twitter.com/9duB5bM2LB
Future Hall of Famer Aroldis Chapman could also be on the trade block this summer and could be a dark horse option for the A's if they plan to be a buyer this summer.
It will all come down to whether the A's plan to buy or sell this summer. If they want to compete, there are plenty of options on the table.
Add us as a preferred source on Google
Dylan Quinn grew up playing baseball, and also enjoyed watching and writing about his favorite team, the A’s. Being a diehard A’s fan from New Jersey is certainly not common, but he loves the team and all of the current and former players so much. Quinn currently attends school at Penn State Scranton where he plays baseball.
Follow dylanq_2