The A's called up C/OF Matt McBride from Triple-A Nashville on Wednesday and optioned reliever Andrew Triggs.
To make room on the 40-man roster for McBride, pitcher Felix Doubront was transferred to the 60-day disabled list.
McBride, 30, was signed to a minor league deal in the offseason and spent the spring in A's camp as a non-roster invitee. One advantage of his addition is it allows manager Bob Melvin the luxury of putting both Stephen Vogt and Josh Phegley in the lineup -- one at catcher and one at DH -- without worrying about having to lose the DH if one of them gets hurt.