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Taylor Smith a Top Candidate For Head of Baseball Ops With A's
ESPN Baseball Insider Jeff Passan reports that Boston Red Sox assistant general manager Taylor Smith is considered the top candidate to become the head of baseball operations for the A's. According to Passan, another finalist for the job, Cardinals assistant general manager Rob Cerfolio is expected to stay with St. Louis. Passan previously reported that Sam Fuld, the former general manager of the Phillies, was offered the A's job but will remain in the Philadelphia organization.
Source: Jeff Passan
Source: Jeff Passan
Brent Rooker Returns From Knee Injury on Friday
Athletics outfielder Brent Rooker (knee) is serving as the designated hitter and is batting cleanup for the A's in Friday's series opener at Daikin Park against the hosting Houston Astros and right-hander Peter Lambert, per MLB.com. Rooker has been bothered by some knee soreness of late, which is why the A's gave him the day off on Thursday in the final game of the series at Wrigley Field against the Chicago Cubs. The team probably also wanted to give the right-handed slugger a day of mental rest after a really rough start to his 2026 campaign. The 31-year-old veteran outfielder enters Friday's action with a .195/.276/.360 slash line, .635 OPS, eight home runs, 26 RBI, 16 runs scored, and two steals in his 164 at-bats. Rooker has gone 5-for-37 with a homer, two RBI, four runs scored, two walks, and 13 strikeouts in his last 10 games. Fantasy managers are looking for any signs of life from Rooker at this point, but it might be wise to keep him benched until that happens. He's gone hitless in just one career at-bat against Lambert.
Source: MLB.com
Source: MLB.com
Brent Rooker Remains an Intriguing Buy-Low Candidate Despite Rough Start to 2026
Athletics outfielder/designated hitter Brent Rooker has had a rough go of it so far in 2026, hitting .196/.277/.362 with eight home runs, 26 RBI, 16 runs scored, and two stolen bases across 184 plate appearances. The 31-year-old's season got off to a rocky start due to injury, as he missed nearly three weeks in April with an oblique strain. After striking out in 22.2% of his plate appearances in 2025, Rooker's strikeout rate has skyrocketed to 31% in 2026. Even with the increase in swing-and-miss, Rooker's poor batting average may be a symptom of bad luck. His current batting average on balls in play of .240 is well below his career mark of .312. Rooker's power does not appear to have degraded either, as his 14.7% barrel rate is right in line with the marks he posted across three consecutive 30-homer campaigns from 2023 to 2025. If Rooker can cut down on his whiffs even slightly, he could be in line for a major bounce-back over the remainder of 2026.
Source: RotoBaller
Source: RotoBaller
