OAKLAND, Calif. — The Oakland A’s selected right-handed pitcher Yacksel Ríos from Triple-A Las Vegas and optioned right-handed pitcher Chad Smith to Las Vegas, the club announced today. To clear a spot on the 40-man roster, the A’s transferred right-handed pitcher Drew Rucinski to the 60-day injured list.
Ríos was acquired by the A’s on Sunday from the Atlanta Braves organization for cash considerations. He had spent the entire season at Triple-A Gwinnett where he was 1-2 with seven saves, a 2.49 ERA, .163 opponents batting average and .493 OPS in 22 relief appearances. The 29-year-old right-hander walked eight and struck out 30 in 25.1 innings. Ríos is tied for third in the International League in saves. He was originally selected by the Phillies in the 12th round of the 2011 First-Year Player Draft and made his Major League debut with Philadelphia in 2017. Ríos last pitched in the majors in 2021 when he combined with Seattle and Boston for a 3-0 record and a 4.28 ERA in 23 relief appearances. He is 8-2 with a 5.77 ERA in 89 career relief appearances over five seasons in the majors with the Phillies (2017-19), Pirates (2019-2020), Mariners (2021) and Red Sox (2021).
Smith was recalled from Las Vegas on Friday for his second stint with the A’s this year and made his only appearance that night against Philadelphia, allowing two runs on three hits and a walk in 2.0 innings. He is 1-1 with a 6.75 ERA and .809 opponents OPS in nine relief appearances overall with Oakland. Smith is also 0-1 with a 10.26 ERA and .987 OPS in 15 relief appearances with the Aviators.
Rucinski began the season on the injured list with a strained left hamstring. He was reinstated on April 28 and went 0-4 with a 9.00 ERA in four starts with the A’s before returning to the IL on May 20 retroactive to May 17 with a stomach illness. Rucinski later sprained his right knee while on the IL.
