Athletics' Lawrence Butler: Headed to majors

The Athletics called Butler up from Triple-A Las Vegas on Wednesday, Martin Gallegos of MLB.com reports.

Butler started the season with Double-A Midland before reaching Triple-A in mid-July, and he's now set to get his first taste of major-league action Friday during Oakland's next series against the Nationals. The 23-year-old outfielder is slashing .281/.347/.473 through 412 plate appearances between Double-A and Triple-A this season with 15 homers, 70 RBI and 21 stolen bases. Butler provides an interesting power/speed combination that could earn him regular playing time on an Athletics team that seems motivated to get its top prospects some reps in the majors to close out what has been a rough season.