The A's Shouldn't Be Worried About Lawrence Butler's Slow Start

The numbers aren't pretty just yet, but history shows that Lawrence Butler knows how to flip the switch

Apr 4, 2026; West Sacramento, California, USA; Athletics right fielder Lawrence Butler (4) looks on before a baseball game against the Houston Astros at Sutter Health Park. Mandatory Credit: Scott Marshall-Imagn Images | Scott Marshall-Imagn Images

One look at the numbers that Lawrence Butler has put up through his first 26 games will tell you he's struggling. A .186/.263/.279 slash tells you plenty, but his .542 OPS and 47 wRC+ (100 is league average) hammer that point home. He's not swinging it well just yet.

That said, there is plenty of room for optimism at this point in the season, with a few days still left in April. For starters, his BABIP is just .237, while the league average at this point sits at .290. In the past two seasons, he's been just over .300, so as he continues to get more plate appearances, that number should go up based on pure probabilities.

His expected batting average sits at .253, which would transform the rest of his numbers for the better. He has good bat speed (73rd percentile) and is better than average when it comes to chasing outside of the zone (63rd percentile), which should add up to a much better version of Butler than the one we've witnessed for a month.

The other big factor here is that he has been recovering from an offseason surgery this year, and in the first week or two of the regular season, the A's were bringing him along slowly. He made his spring debut late, and has been trying to play catch up since.

The good and bad news

Apr 18, 2026; West Sacramento, California, USA; Athletics center fielder Lawrence Butler (4) is tagged out by Chicago White Sox third baseman Miguel Vargas (20) as he tires to extend his double into a triple during the eighth inning at Sutter Health Park. Mandatory Credit: Scott Marshall-Imagn Images | Scott Marshall-Imagn Images

In looking at Butler's previous production on a month-by-month basis, there haven't been too many stretches where he has struggled this much for a full month—at least in terms of wRC+.

Since his breakout in July 2024, the worst month that Butler had put up was in July last year, where he held a 62 wRC+. He also struggled for most of the second half overall, finishing with a 70 wRC+, while batting .203/.268/.351. He still finished with the first 20/20 season for the A's since 2013.

Given the injury that he suffered in the second half of last season that he played through, and the adjustments that the league has made to him as he has made a name for himself, those struggles add up.

The good news here is that Butler has made key adjustments in the past. In 2024, it was a simple fix: Keep his head steady when he was swinging. The adjustment that led to his breakout performance he posted in the second half of that season, but before that stretch he had posted an 11 wRC+ in nine May games, and a 13 wRC+ in 11 June games.

He has made the adjustments in the past, and earned a contract extension. The hope here is that he'll be able to replicate that process again this summer, and become another important piece in an already dangerous A's lineup.