The 32-year-old brings Sacramento familiarity and defensive versatility as the A's navigate injuries to Zack Gelof and Nick Kurtz
Now this addition is interesting. The Athletics have claimed infielder Donovan Walton from the Los Angeles Angels. With their 40-man roster at 39 players, they have room to add him easily.
What is interesting about this addition is that he spent 150 games playing for the Sacramento River Cats from 2022-24. When he was a member of the Angels just a few weeks ago, he was back in Sacramento and went 4-for-8 against the A's with a home run and a double.
Walton, 32, has spent most of his time at second base in the big leagues, while also scooting around to shortstop and third base. This season with Triple-A Salt Lake he also added left field to the mix.
Over the course of his career, Walton has hit .218 with a .264 OBP; three of his seven home runs have come this season in 32 games with the Angels. He's also hit .319 this season with a .354 OBP, thanks to a .371 BABIP.
Even with the high BABIP, his analytical data still gives him an expected .270 batting average. His whiff and chase rates sit slightly better than league average, and his low bat speed helps him keep his strikeout rate at just 18.6%.
That all said, his defense hasn't been great this season, bringing in -2 outs above average at both third base and second base. The last time he had a positive defensive number at any position in the big leagues was back in 2021 with the Seattle Mariners when he played shortstop for 10 innings.
Impact on A's Roster
The A's have called up Joey Meneses and Brian Serven to help compensate for the losses of Zack Gelof and Nick Kurtz to the IL in recent days, but neither is a long-term solution. For that matter, neither is Walton, but he has a little more versatility on defense and is very familiar with Sutter Health Park.
The question now becomes how long the A's expect both Gelof and Kurtz to be out. The first baseman is keeping his right thumb immobilized through the All-Star break according to manager Mark Kotsay. His timeline will be reassessed after the break.
"We're hopeful that we'll have better direction once he gets out of the splints and we start back looking at the mobility and the strength of the capsule," Kotsay said before Sunday's game.
For Gelof, the timeline is more uncertain. Given that Walton can play many of the same positions Gelof typically finds himself in (second, third and left field), there is a chance that Gelof will be out for a more extended period. Kotsay said earlier this week it would take some time for him to get back, and this move seems to support that.
