A’s Designate Scott Barlow For Assignment, Making Room on 40-Man Roster

The Athletics announced a package of five roster moves on Sunday, highlighted by the decision to designate right-hander Scott Barlow for assignment. The transaction is primarily a 40-man roster move, created to accommodate other additions and adjustments the club made elsewhere on its roster.

According to the team’s reported transactions, Oakland selected Joey Meneses’ contract from Triple-A Las Vegas. In MLB terms, that means the A’s added the infielder to the active roster picture, using one of their roster spots to bring him up from the minors. The club also selected the contract of left-hander Matt Krook, another addition that suggests the A’s wanted pitching depth available at the major-league level.

To make those additions work, the A’s also optioned infielder Alika Williams to Triple-A. An option assignment typically allows a club to keep a player within its organization while removing him from the active roster for now, so the roster can be reconfigured without being forced into additional DFA moves.

Barlow’s designation for assignment is the central development because it begins a process with multiple possible outcomes. Once a player is designated, the team has a window to trade him, release him, or, if the team clears the process, place him on waivers. For the A’s bullpen depth, the timing matters because it can create uncertainty around late-inning availability depending on what happens next.

The Athletics also moved Luis Severino from the 15-day injured list to the 60-day injured list. That step can be roster-management related, because placing a player on the 60-day IL opens a 40-man roster spot that can be used for other moves. Taken together with the Meneses and Krook selections and the Williams option, the overall theme is clear: Oakland shifted roster pieces to balance the active roster, the injured list, and its immediate player needs.

While the transactions are straightforward from a roster mechanics standpoint, the baseball impact will depend on how Oakland fills the space Barlow leaves behind and how quickly its newly activated players are able to contribute. Meneses’ and Krook’s promotions also set a watch point for how the A’s plan to use position depth and pitching support in the coming series.

For now, the most immediate storyline is what becomes of Barlow after he was designated for assignment. If he clears waivers, Oakland could retain him by outrighting him, or other clubs could claim him and add him to their own bullpen mix. The A’s next few roster announcements should also indicate whether additional moves are coming to further stabilize the bullpen and infield depth as the club works through its active roster constraints.