What Option of Colby Thomas Means For the A's Roster Plans to Begin the Season

Thomas showed some of his potential in his debut season with the A's. Now he's on the outside looking in

Sep 7, 2025; Anaheim, California, USA; Athletics right fielder Colby Thomas (32) hits a sacrifice fly to tie the game against the Los Angeles Angels during the eighth inning at Angel Stadium. Mandatory Credit: William Liang-Imagn Images | William Liang-Imagn Images

The position player side of the A's roster is now in focus, following the team's latest transaction. Over the weekend, the club decided to option Colby Thomas, and while the move hasn't been announced by the club, it's on the team's transactions log online.

Heading into the spring, Thomas was seen as a potential fit to platoon in right field with Lawrence Butler, given that all of Thomas' six home runs came against southpaws, and he also hit .246 with a .304 OBP and a 136 wRC+ (100 is league average). Against righties, he struggled, batting .203 with a .226 OBP and a 23 wRC+.

Butler was the exact opposite, batting .188 with a .228 OBP and a 52 wRC+ against left-handers, while hitting .246 with a .325 OBP and a 106 wRC+ against righties. The two of them combined, even with last year's struggles, would form a well above average outfielder.

This spring Thomas had been struggling mightily in the early going, batting .143 with a .172 OBP as of March 12. Since that point, he'd gone 7-for-18, upping his average to .239. Butler on the other hand just made his spring debut last week, and he's expected to be somewhat limited in his playing time to begin the season to make sure there are no setbacks in his recovery from offseason surgery.

What this means for A's playing time plans

Sep 21, 2025; Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA; Athletics designated hitter Brent Rooker (25) hits a single against the Pittsburgh Pirates during the first inning at PNC Park. Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images | Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images

There are a few factors that went into the decision to option Thomas this weekend. The first is that both Darell Hernaiz and Max Muncy have played extremely well this spring, and the club has a decent number of outfielders already in the mix. An extra infield glove in Hernaiz gives the club depth to give Jacob Wilson a day off, and he even got a start in right field last week.

The second reason is that Carlos Cortes, the other extra outfielder on the roster, is a left-handed bat, and adding him to the 26-man squad gives the A's at least one lefty on the bench if the regular roster is in the starting lineup. Cortes was also terrific in his bench role last season, batting .309 with a .323 OBP last year. He then proceeded to bat cleanup for Puerto Rico in the World Baseball Classic.

The final point here is the status of Lawrence Butler himself. With Butler expected to see some time at DH in the early part of the season, the A's have to be flexible with how they're building out their roster. If Butler needs to DH, then Brent Rooker isn't just going to take days off, he's going to be in the field instead.

If Rooker is in the outfield, then that kind of takes away the need for Thomas on the roster in the near-term for the A's. Thomas will certainly be in the mix if and when an injury occurs on the A's roster, or perhaps if the club decides to go with another strategy once Butler is able to take the field more often.

Of course, the hope is that Butler doesn't need a platoon partner at all, so it could be an uphill battle for Thomas to see regular playing time with the way the roster is currently constructed.

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