In a flurry of moves Saturday, the A's optioned shortstop Franklin Barreto to Triple-A Nashville and designated catcher Ryan Lavarnway for assignment to make room to select starting pitcher Chris Smith from Nashville and activate catcher Josh Phegley from paternity leave.
Barreto, who is the A's top prospect and ninth-best shortstop prospect in MLB, according to MLBpipeline.com, likely won't be in the Minors for long. The 21-year-old struggled in 11 games since being called up for the first time, posting a slash line of .190/.261/.381. However, with second baseman Jed Lowrie in the final year of his contract and a prime candidate to be dealt by the non-waiver Trade Deadline, Barreto could soon take over regular duty at second base.