Butler isn't in the Athletics' lineup Saturday against the Angels.
Butler will get a breather after going 4-for-22 with an RBI and three runs scored across Oakland's last seven games. Esteury Ruiz will start in center field with Butler out, allowing JJ Bleday to start in left and bat fourth.
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Athletics' Lawrence Butler: Swats pair of doubles Wednesday
Rotowire
Butler went 2-for-3 with two doubles and two runs in a loss to the Twins on Wednesday.
The rookie produced the only multi-hit effort of the night for the Athletics and the second multi-extra-base-hit tally of his nascent career as well. Butler's productive night snapped a brief 0-for-10 skid that had encompassed his previous three games, but he's picked up the pace at the plate since mid-September by producing a .259 average in his last nine contests (30 plate appearances) despite the aforementioned mini-slump.
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Athletics' Lawrence Butler: On bench Thursday
Rotowire
Butler is absent from the lineup Thursday against the Tigers.
Aledmys Diaz, Esteury Ruiz and Brent Rooker will start across the outfield as the Athletics roll with an all-righty lineup versus left-hander Tarik Skubal. The left-handed-hitting Butler has gone 4-for-27 (.148) with 11 strikeouts over his last 10 games.
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Athletics' Lawrence Butler: Resting Tuesday
Rotowire
Butler isn't in the Athletics' lineup Tuesday against the Mariners.
Butler will get a chance to clear his head Tuesday after going just 3-for-18 with nine strikeouts across his last six games. Esteury Ruiz will get the start in center field and bat ninth while Butler sits.
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Athletics' Lawrence Butler: On base thrice in loss
Rotowire
Butler went 2-for-3 with a walk in a loss to the Padres on Saturday.
The rookie's pair of singles represented his first hits since returning from the bereavement list Sept. 8. Butler had been mired in an 0-for-15 funk since that point, and despite Saturday's production, his season line sits at a paltry .218/.253/.379 across his first 91 plate appearances, albeit while partly comprised of a pair of doubles and four home runs.
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Athletics' Lawrence Butler: Sitting against lefty
Rotowire
Butler isn't in the Athletics' lineup Friday against Texas.
With left-hander Jordan Montgomery on the mound for the Rangers, the lefty-hitting Butler will take a seat. Esteury Ruiz will take over in center field and bat ninth.
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Athletics' Lawrence Butler: Returns from bereavement
Rotowire
The Athletics reinstated Butler from the bereavement list Friday.
Butler went on bereavement leave Tuesday and will now return after a minimum-length absence. Jonah Bride was optioned to Triple-A Las Vegas in a corresponding move.
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Athletics' Lawrence Butler: Homers twice Monday
Rotowire
Butler went 2-for-4 with two homers and three RBI in Monday's 6-5 extra-inning loss to Toronto.
Butler got Oakland on the board with a solo homer off Jose Berrios in the fifth inning before cranking a two-run shot off Jordan Romano in the 10th. It's the first multi-homer effort of Butler's career, as he's up to five long balls in his rookie campaign. Overall, he's batting .246 with a .717 OPS, nine RBI and six runs scored through his first 71 plate appearances. Butler certainly has intriguing power potential, and he should see a fairly regular role with the A's down the stretch.
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Athletics' Lawrence Butler: On bereavement list
Rotowire
The Athletics placed Butler on the bereavement list Tuesday.
Butler will miss at least three days and no more than seven as he tends to more important matters. Kevin Smith was recalled from Triple-A Las Vegas in a corresponding move.
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Athletics' Lawrence Butler: Idle versus lefty
Rotowire
Butler is out of the lineup for Sunday's game against the Angels.
Butler will be joined on the bench by fellow left-handed-hitting outfielders Tony Kemp and Seth Brown in the series finale. Oakland will roll out a starting outfield trio of Aledmys Diaz, Esteury Ruiz and Brent Rooker from left to right.
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Athletics' Lawrence Butler: Belts second homer
Rotowire
Butler went 2-for-4 with a two-run home run in a loss to the Mariners on Wednesday.
The rookie opened the scoring with a 431-foot shot to right center in the second inning with Jordan Diaz aboard. Butler's multi-hit effort was his first since Aug. 21 and the third overall of his nascent professional career. The round tripper also served as his first extra-base hit since back on Aug. 15, however, a major factor in his anemic .373 slugging percentage.
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Athletics' Lawrence Butler: On bench Sunday
Rotowire
Butler is out of the lineup for Sunday's game against the White Sox.
Butler will head to the bench for the series finale after he started in each of the previous three games while contributing two hits, an RBI and a run over his 11 at-bats. Esteury Ruiz will spell Butler in center field Sunday.
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Athletics' Lawrence Butler: Taking seat Wednesday
Rotowire
Butler is absent from the lineup for Wednesday's game versus the Royals, Martin Gallegos of MLB.com reports.
The Athletics have faced a lot of lefties lately and the left-handed-hitting Butler has now been out of the lineup for two straight games. He appeared in Tuesday's win over Kansas City as a pinch hitter, so perhaps he'll be summoned off the bench again Wednesday. Esteury Ruiz will man center field Wednesday in Butler's stead.
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Athletics' Lawrence Butler: Not starting versus lefty
Rotowire
Butler is not in the lineup Tuesday versus the Royals.
Butler will not start with lefty Angel Zerpa on the mound for the Royals. Butler has appeared in every game since Aug. 11, drawing nine starts over that 10-game span. Esteury Ruiz will shift to center field and Brent Rooker will play in right, with Jonah Bride slotting into the lineup as the designated hitter and hitting out of the leadoff spot.
Butler will be on the bench for Saturday's game against Baltimore.
The Athletics presumably want to see what Butler can do down the stretch as they think about building their roster for 2024 and beyond, but so far, they haven't been interested in seeing what he can do against same-sided pitching. He owns a .760 OPS through his first 25 big-league plate appearances but has sat against both lefties the A's have faced since his call-up, including Saturday's starter Cole Irvin. Esteury Ruiz will be the center fielder Saturday.
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Athletics' Lawrence Butler: Launches first big-league home run
Rotowire
Butler went 1-for-4 with a two-run homer in Tuesday's 6-2 loss to St. Louis.
The 23-year-old rookie took advantage of a hanging slider thrown by Dakota Hudson, sending it 437 feet to right field for a two-run shot. Butler's first career long ball left his bat at an impressive 111 mph. One of Oakland's top prospects, Butler is now 4-for-19 (.211) with two doubles and a home run through his first five major-league games.
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Athletics' Lawrence Butler: Heads to bench Wednesday
Rotowire
Butler is out of the lineup for Wednesday's game against the Cardinals.
For the first time since being called up from Triple-A Las Vegas last weekend, Butler will head to the bench after he went 4-for-19 with a home run, two doubles, two RBI and an additional run in his first five big-league games. Butler should get the opportunity to play on a near-everyday basis moving forward now that Oakland has an opening in the outfield following JJ Bleday's (knee) recent move to the 10-day injured list.
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Athletics' Lawrence Butler: Laces first two big-league hits
Rotowire
Butler went 2-for-8 with two doubles -- his first two big-league hits -- over the two weekend games against the Nationals.
Butler drew starts in each installment of the three-game interleague set against the Nationals and laced both of his first two big-league hits for extra bases. The promising prospect has now served at three professional levels this season and has encouragingly struck out just twice over his first 12 big-league plate appearances.
