The Athletics announced that they have claimed left-hander Connor Thomas off waivers from the Braves. Right-hander Mark Leiter Jr. was transferred to the 60-day injured list as a corresponding move. There wasn’t any previous indication that Thomas had been designated for assignment by Atlanta but they apparently tried to quietly sneak him through waivers. Their 40-man count drops to 39.
Thomas, 28, signed a minor league deal with Atlanta in the offseason. He was added to the roster earlier this month but has mostly been on optional assignment. He made two big league appearances, which did not go well, as he allowed an eye-popping 15 earned runs in 6 1/3 innings. He had a similarly rough time with the Brewers last year, allowing 12 earned runs in 5 1/3. That gives him a 20.83 earned run average in 11 2/3 innings in his career.
The A’s are presumably focusing more on his minor league track record. He stalled out as a starter in the Cardinals’ system a few years ago. A move to the bullpen has yielded some interesting numbers on the farm. In 2024, he tossed 90 1/3 innings over 56 appearances with a 2.89 ERA. His 20.6% strikeout rate was below average but his 6.3% walk rate and 53.5% ground ball rate were both strong figures.
Last year, he got to make his major league debut when the Brewers took him in the Rule 5 draft but injuries wiped out most of the season. He was outrighted off the roster at season’s end and elected free agency, which led Atlanta to sign him. He has logged 27 1/3 Triple-A innings this year with a 2.09 ERA, 22.3% strikeout rate, 8.1% walk rate and 59.2% ground ball rate.
The A’s effectively had a roster spot to work with due to Leiter’s situation, as he recently underwent season-ending hip surgery. Thomas still has a full slate of options and could be kept in the minors if the A’s don’t have a spot in the big leagues for him.
Photo courtesy of John Jones, Imagn Images
