The Athletics have signed lefty Phil Coke to a minor league deal with a July 10 opt-out, MLive.com’s Chris Iott tweets. Coke has been assigned to Class A+ Stockton. He is a client of Full Circle Sports Management.
Earlier this week, Coke declined an optional assignment and became a free agent after 2 2/3 innings with the Blue Jays. Previously this season, he had pitched for the Cubs, who released him in late May.
The opt-out in Coke’s new deal suggests both he and the A’s think he has a shot to get back to the big leagues quickly.