Clarke’s defense has been excellent, as expected, with +2 outs above average. When he’s on the field, he’s the best defender in baseball. It’s his bat that has been holding him back from seeing that everyday playing time. <\/p>\n
This week, while apparently dealing with injury, Zack Gelof had taken over in center<\/a> for the first two games of the biggest series the A’s have had<\/a> at this point in the season. With Clarke out, the A’s may have some flexibility to try a few options in center to see what their best alignment is moving forward. <\/p>\n In Wednesday’s finale, Lawrence Butler will be getting a look in center, with Carlos Cortes in right and Shea Langeliers at DH in a day game after a night game. <\/p>\n Colby Thomas bringing slug to Sacramento Sep 7, 2025; Anaheim, California, USA; Athletics right fielder Colby Thomas (32) runs after hitting a sacrifice fly to tie the game against the Los Angeles Angels during the eighth inning at Angel Stadium. Mandatory Credit: William Liang-Imagn Images | William Liang-Imagn Images<\/p>\n Starting the season in Triple-A Las Vegas, Thomas has been hot at the plate. He’s slashing .309\/.397\/.574 with five home runs and a .971 OPS through 17 games with the Aviators. His strikeout and walk rates have also trended in the appropriate directions compared to his time in the minors last year, which is a positive step.<\/p>\n The one caveat with Thomas is that in his debut season last year, he excelled against left-handed pitching, while struggling mightily against righties. Versus southpaws, he hit .246\/.304\/.590 and held a 136 wRC+ in 69 plate appearances. In 63 plate appearances against righties, he hit .203\/.226\/.237 with a 23 wRC+. <\/p>\n Where this comes into play is that he can start against lefties, while also potentially serving as a pinch-hit option against left-handed relievers\u2014a role Andy Ib\u00e1\u00f1ez was expected to excel in this season, but he has gone just 2-for-16 (.125) so far. He’s 0-for-1 against righties in 2026. Thomas will provide the A’s another option in these scenarios. <\/p>\n With Gelof’s new positional flexibility, that will allow the A’s to find the best matchups available on a game-to-game basis, and Thomas could have a role to play when lefties are on the mound. <\/p>\n For more A’s insight and analysis, make sure to follow Jason on X\u00a0@ByJasonB<\/a>\u00a0or BlueSky\u00a0@JasonBurke<\/a>\u00a0and the site’s\u00a0Facebook page<\/a>!<\/p>\n![\"Colby](\"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/01kpv8b1z5x4gfrjyeah.jpg\" "\\"Colby")
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