Ron Washington did lots of good helping the A’s infield be the best it could be during an 11-year stint with Oakland that ended after the 2006 season, when he took a job managing the Texas Rangers.
With the A’s in a defensive rut and shortstop Marcus Semien in particular having made 16 errors in Oakland’s first 42 games, the club decided it was time to make a move to address the problem of a Major League-worst 44 errors committed as a team by reaching out to Washington, who will join the team as a coach Friday and stay on for the rest of the season.