ARLINGTON, Texas — The Oakland Athletics benched struggling designated hitter Billy Butler for Sunday’s series finale against the Texas Rangers.
Butler is mired in the worst slump of his career as he went 0-for-5 Saturday and is in the midst of an 0-for-20 slump. For the season, Butler is batting .260 with three homers and 12 RBIs.
“It’s not like he’s striking out a lot,” Oakland manager Bob Melvin said. “He’s in a little bit of a pull mode, which is typical of someone trying to do too much. We’ll give him a mental day today, but he could be coming off the bench.”
The 0-for-20 slump is the longest of Butler’s career and comes in the midst of a 1-for-31 slide for Butler. Butler also leads the American League as he’s grounded into seven double plays, which is the second-highest mark in the majors.
Butler’s slump comes after a hot start too. He opened the season by hitting .369 in the first 17 games.