Athletics land right-hander Hayden Juenger from Blue Jays, designate Brett Harris for assignment

The Athletics acquired right-hander Hayden Juenger from the Toronto Blue Jays in a trade announced Friday, a transaction that reshaped Oakland’s 40-man roster and added another arm to its pitching depth. Both clubs issued statements to confirm the agreement, with the A’s also making a corresponding roster move to fit the newcomer under Major League Baseball’s roster rules.

According to the trade announcement reported by MLB Trade Rumors, the Blue Jays had previously designated Juenger for assignment earlier this week. That decision came after right-hander Shane Bieber returned to Toronto, a staffing change that pushed Juenger off the Blue Jays’ immediate roster.

The trade package also sent catcher Owen Carapellotti back to Toronto. MLB Trade Rumors characterized Carapellotti as the minor-league catcher headed from Oakland to the Blue Jays in exchange for Juenger, framing the deal as an opportunity for both sides to rebalance their player pools.

On the Athletics side, the transaction required additional roster housekeeping. Oakland designated infielder Brett Harris for assignment to clear a spot on its 40-man roster for Juenger, a step taken to ensure the new acquisition could be added without violating MLB’s roster limits.

Designation for assignment does not guarantee an eventual departure. Players can remain with the club if they are claimed on waivers by another organization, traded to another team during the required waiver process, or outrighted to the minors if they clear waivers and meet eligibility requirements. For Harris, the immediate focus shifts to where he can land during the coming waiver window.

For the Blue Jays, the move created room on their roster following Bieber’s return and allowed Toronto to turn the churn into an additional player coming back in Carapellotti. For Oakland, acquiring Juenger adds a pitcher with Major League experience, at least as of his time in the Blue Jays organization, and provides another option as the Athletics manage the realities of late June roster volatility.

The key unresolved question is how each team plans to use the players after the trade’s roster mechanics play out. Oakland’s next move with Juenger could depend on how the pitching staff is tracking health and performance, while Toronto’s use of Carapellotti will hinge on how quickly it expects him to contribute at the minor-league level.

Either way, the deal underscores a recurring pattern across MLB: roster management is often as important as talent evaluation, because a player can be moved quickly when another teammate returns from assignment, an injury absence ends, or a club targets a specific organizational need.