Fantasy News

• Athletics' Lawrence Butler: Sits down versus lefty

  Rotowire Apr 25, 2024

  Butler isn't in Oakland's lineup for Thursday's game against the Yankees. The left-handed bat of Butler will step out of the lineup with southpaw Nestor Cortes on the mound for the Yankees. Tyler Nevin will take over in right field, allowing Darell Hernaiz to start at third base and bat ninth.

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• Athletics' Lawrence Butler: Pops second homer

  Rotowire Apr 24, 2024

  Butler went 1-for-4 with a solo home run in Tuesday's 4-3 loss to the Yankees. He golfed a Marcus Stroman slider over the right-field fence in the fourth inning, but the Oakland offense went cold the rest of the way. Butler also struck out twice as he struggles to emerge from an early-season swoon, and through 23 games the 23-year-old outfielder is slashing .190/.301/.333 with two homers, one steal, four runs and five RBI.

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• Athletics' Lawrence Butler: On bench against lefty

  Rotowire Apr 22, 2024

  Butler is out of the lineup for Monday's game against the Yankees, Martin Gallegos of MLB.com reports. The lefty-hitting Butler will hit the bench for the series opener with southpaw Carlos Rodon on the hill for the Yankees. The Athletics will replace Butler in the lineup with Tyler Nevin, who draws the start in right field.

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• Athletics' Lawrence Butler: Not in lineup

  Rotowire Apr 17, 2024

  Butler is absent from the lineup for Wednesday's game against the Cardinals. The left-handed-hitting Butler will grab a seat as St. Louis sends southpaw Steven Matz to the hill. Max Schuemann and Tyler Nevin are occupying the corner outfield spots for the Athletics in the series finale.

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• Athletics' Lawrence Butler: Collects first three-hit day

  Rotowire Apr 15, 2024

  Butler went 3-for-3 with a walk, one RBI and two runs scored during Sunday's 7-6 win over the Nationals. After collecting three strikeouts Saturday, Butler rebounded by reaching base in all four plate appearances and collecting the first three-hit game of his career Sunday. Included amongst the three hits for Butler was his third double of the season. Butler's performance Sunday managed to raise his batting average from .163 to .211 with one homer, three RBI and three runs scored.

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• Athletics' Lawrence Butler: Goes deep in victory

  Rotowire Apr 13, 2024

  Butler went 2-for-3 with a home run, a walk and two RBI in Friday's win over the Nationals. Butler opened the game's scoring with his first homer of the season in the third inning, a 445-foot solo blast off Jake Irvin. The Oakland outfielder also singled home the game-winning run in the 10th inning. Butler has struggled to start the season, slashing .179/.304/.308 over his first 46 plate appearances, so perhaps Friday's stellar game could be the jump start he needs.

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• Athletics' Lawrence Butler: Multi-hit effort in win

  Rotowire Apr 8, 2024

  Butler entered Sunday's win over the Tigers in the fourth inning as a replacement for Brent Rooker (abdomen) and went 2-for-3 with a double. Butler originally had the day off in the midst of a multi-game funk, but the speedy outfielder's time on the bench didn't last long. The unexpected taste of action actually worked out well for Butler, who produced his first multi-hit effort of the season and snapped out of a 1-for-12 skid that had encompassed his previous four games. Despite a productive afternoon that also included his second extra-base hit of the season, Butler is still carrying a forgettable .185/.290/.259 slash line across his first 31 plate appearances of the new campaign.

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• Athletics' Lawrence Butler: Out against left-hander

  Rotowire Apr 5, 2024

  Butler is not in the lineup for Friday's contest against the Tigers. With southpaw Tarik Skubal toeing the slab for Detroit, the left-handed hitting Butler will sit in favor of Brent Rooker in right field while Abraham Toro handles designated hitter duties. It's the second straight game on the bench for Butler, who sat out versus a righty Wednesday.

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• Athletics' Lawrence Butler: Enjoying blistering spring

  Rotowire Mar 13, 2024

  Butler went 2-for-4 with a double and a run in a Cactus League win over the Mariners on Tuesday, pushing his spring average to .433. Butler has now reached safely in six straight exhibitions and has a pair of doubles in the last three games. The 23-year-old appears set to take a major step forward after his initial 42-game cup of coffee with the Athletics last season. Perhaps what is most encouraging is the fact that he has struck out a mere four times across 35 plate appearances this spring.

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• Athletics' Lawrence Butler: Confident mindset paying dividends

  Rotowire Feb 29, 2024

  Butler worked on improving several aspects of his game at four-time Gold Glove winner Marquis Grissom's training facility this offseason, Martin Gallegos of MLB.com reports. "I love the way he's come into camp," manager Mark Kotsay said. "You can tell he's got a mindset that he belongs here." The talented 23-year-old, who was promoted to the big leagues for the first time Aug. 11 of last season and ended up appearing in 42 games the rest of the way, entered spring camp penciled in as the starting center fielder. Butler prepared for what is expected to be his first full big-league campaign with Grissom and childhood friend/ascending Atlanta outfielder Michael Harris, among other players, focusing on getting a better jump on batted balls, improving his footwork on defense and sharpening his plate discipline after walking just four times in his first 129 big-league plate appearances. Butler has yet to draw a free pass through eight Cactus League at-bats, but he's rapped out three singles, recorded an RBI and two runs, and struck out just once.

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• Athletics' Lawrence Butler: Sitting out Saturday

  Rotowire Sep 30, 2023

  Butler isn't in the Athletics' lineup Saturday against the Angels. Butler will get a breather after going 4-for-22 with an RBI and three runs scored across Oakland's last seven games. Esteury Ruiz will start in center field with Butler out, allowing JJ Bleday to start in left and bat fourth.

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• Athletics' Lawrence Butler: Swats pair of doubles Wednesday

  Rotowire Sep 28, 2023

  Butler went 2-for-3 with two doubles and two runs in a loss to the Twins on Wednesday. The rookie produced the only multi-hit effort of the night for the Athletics and the second multi-extra-base-hit tally of his nascent career as well. Butler's productive night snapped a brief 0-for-10 skid that had encompassed his previous three games, but he's picked up the pace at the plate since mid-September by producing a .259 average in his last nine contests (30 plate appearances) despite the aforementioned mini-slump.

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• Athletics' Lawrence Butler: On bench Thursday

  Rotowire Sep 21, 2023

  Butler is absent from the lineup Thursday against the Tigers. Aledmys Diaz, Esteury Ruiz and Brent Rooker will start across the outfield as the Athletics roll with an all-righty lineup versus left-hander Tarik Skubal. The left-handed-hitting Butler has gone 4-for-27 (.148) with 11 strikeouts over his last 10 games.

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• Athletics' Lawrence Butler: Resting Tuesday

  Rotowire Sep 19, 2023

  Butler isn't in the Athletics' lineup Tuesday against the Mariners. Butler will get a chance to clear his head Tuesday after going just 3-for-18 with nine strikeouts across his last six games. Esteury Ruiz will get the start in center field and bat ninth while Butler sits.

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• Athletics' Lawrence Butler: On base thrice in loss

  Rotowire Sep 17, 2023

  Butler went 2-for-3 with a walk in a loss to the Padres on Saturday. The rookie's pair of singles represented his first hits since returning from the bereavement list Sept. 8. Butler had been mired in an 0-for-15 funk since that point, and despite Saturday's production, his season line sits at a paltry .218/.253/.379 across his first 91 plate appearances, albeit while partly comprised of a pair of doubles and four home runs.

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• Athletics' Lawrence Butler: On bench Sunday

  Rotowire Aug 27, 2023

  Butler is out of the lineup for Sunday's game against the White Sox. Butler will head to the bench for the series finale after he started in each of the previous three games while contributing two hits, an RBI and a run over his 11 at-bats. Esteury Ruiz will spell Butler in center field Sunday.

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• Athletics' Lawrence Butler: Taking seat Wednesday

  Rotowire Aug 23, 2023

  Butler is absent from the lineup for Wednesday's game versus the Royals, Martin Gallegos of MLB.com reports. The Athletics have faced a lot of lefties lately and the left-handed-hitting Butler has now been out of the lineup for two straight games. He appeared in Tuesday's win over Kansas City as a pinch hitter, so perhaps he'll be summoned off the bench again Wednesday. Esteury Ruiz will man center field Wednesday in Butler's stead.

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• Athletics' Lawrence Butler: Not starting versus lefty

  Rotowire Aug 22, 2023

  Butler is not in the lineup Tuesday versus the Royals. Butler will not start with lefty Angel Zerpa on the mound for the Royals. Butler has appeared in every game since Aug. 11, drawing nine starts over that 10-game span. Esteury Ruiz will shift to center field and Brent Rooker will play in right, with Jonah Bride slotting into the lineup as the designated hitter and hitting out of the leadoff spot.

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• Athletics' Lawrence Butler: Out of lineup

  Rotowire Aug 19, 2023

  Butler will be on the bench for Saturday's game against Baltimore. The Athletics presumably want to see what Butler can do down the stretch as they think about building their roster for 2024 and beyond, but so far, they haven't been interested in seeing what he can do against same-sided pitching. He owns a .760 OPS through his first 25 big-league plate appearances but has sat against both lefties the A's have faced since his call-up, including Saturday's starter Cole Irvin. Esteury Ruiz will be the center fielder Saturday.

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• Athletics' Lawrence Butler: Possible waiver wire pickups

  Rotowire Aug 14, 2023

  Typically, power/speed prospects, unless they're in the top echelon, are as high-risk as they are high-reward, and for most of his minor-league career, Butler fit into that category. But he had a more-than-respectable 18.9 percent strikeout rate between Double- and Triple-A this year, which helped fuel his rapid rise to the majors Friday. So far, he's 2 for 12, but with as many doubles as strikeouts (two), and on a team with nothing doing offensively, he'll get every opportunity to sink or swim. He did have an uninspiring 79.5 percent zone contact rate in his brief stay at Triple-A, so it's possible the higher-quality stuff in the majors brings him down to size. But nothing is guaranteed with prospect call-ups these days, right? The point is that Butler has both upside and opportunity and deserves more attention than he's getting in five-outfielder leagues right now.

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