Daric Barton News

Daric Barton remains Oakland's longest-tenured player in the organization, after clearing waivers and being outrighted to Triple-A Sacramento on Tuesday.

For the second time in a month Daric Barton was placed on waivers by the A's and passed through without being claimed by any of the other 29 teams.

There have been an awful lot of comings and goings in the A's system over the past week or so, as always seems to be the case about this time of year.

Jeremy Hefner struggled in the fourth inning, as Cubs ' pitcher Scott Feldman got the Mets' righty for a two-run double, as Chicago beat our heroes by a score of 8-2. The Mets' offense, meanwhile, had a few early chances but was mostly quiet until Rick Ankiel hit a two-run home run in the ninth inning.

It's the second time the A's have designated Barton this year. They originally cast him off in the spring but ended up keeping him in the minors after he passed through waivers.

The Athletics made a pair of roster moves Saturday afternoon, activating outfielder Chris Young from the 15-day disabled list and designating first baseman Daric Barton for assignment to make room on the 25-man roster.

The A's welcome another of their previously injured outfielders back into the fold tonight against the Royals in Chris Young, who was reinstated from the disabled list today and will start in right field.

A's manager Bob Melvin put Young into the starting lineup for Saturday's game against the Kansas City Royals.

Young was placed on the disabled list May 4, retroactively to April 30, due to a strained left quadriceps, which he suffered during a 19-inning marathon game against the Los Angeles Angels on April 29.

The irrepressible Adam Rosales still wore a big grin in the A's clubhouse Friday night, well after his eighth-inning home run off Royals right-hander James Shields -- and customary home-run sprint around the bases -- lifted Oakland to a 2-1 win.

Stop right there. I know. Brandon Moss is the uncontested first baseman of the Oakland Athletics.

Do you think it's time to shake up the A's roster? Clearly the guys on it now aren't getting the job done, so why wait any longer to make some moves? -- Brock H., Martinez, Calif.

When the Athletics entered the season, they thought a deep group of talented outfielders would be one of the strengths of the team.

Rickey Henderson bounced through the Oakland clubhouse from one player to the next, one corner to the other, with a stop at the breakfast table to greet a few more guys before moving on to meet with Daric Barton by his locker.

Every so often, A's fans are blessed with the opportunity to watch a weekday day game.

The A's bullpen hadn't been charged with a loss all season. The Rangers' bullpen hadn't blown a save.

The A's blew a chance at a momentum-building victory Tuesday when they let a late lead slip away in a 6-5, 10-inning loss to the Texas Rangers before 12,969 fans at O.co Coliseum.

Back in the Bay Area for the first time since a three-game sweep at the end of last season cost them the AL West crown, the first-place Rangers had their momentum stopped by Oakland once again.

Coco Crisp tested his strained left hamstring on the bases on Monday, and A's manager Bob Melvin was so encouraged by the results that, for the first time, he said the outfielder could potentially return to the lineup when eligible Wednesday.

Over the past week or two, many of the A's top prospects have really been on the rise.