Athletics' Armando Alvarez: Records first career steal

Alvarez went 1-for-3 with a walk, a stolen base and two runs in a loss to the Angels on Wednesday.

Fresh off a three-hit night Tuesday, Alvarez drew a second consecutive start and continued contributing in small-ball fashion Wednesday. The 29-year-old rookie's stolen base was a nice bonus, as he's not been very prolific in that category throughout his long minor-league career (28-for-42 across 709 games). Alvarez's encouraging play could continue to allow him to carve out semi-regular playing time around the infield for the time being, with Abraham Toro's (hamstring) recent placement on the IL being the primary catalyst for the former's long-awaited arrival in the big leagues.