Second baseman Joey Wendle was one of seven players sent to the Oakland A’s minor-league camp on March 22, but he made a strong impression on manager Bob Melvin before being reassigned.
“He comes better than advertised,” Melvin said. “We heard early on that his bat was ahead of his glove. He’s got a nice bat, but his glove comes with him. If you watch him, he hangs in on double plays, gets rid of it quickly. Side to side he moves really well. He gets to balls up the middle in a hurry. He’s an all-around player. He’s going to be a really good player.”
The A’s acquired Wendle on Dec. 8 from Cleveland in a trade for All-Star first baseman Brandon Moss. In 261 career minor-league games over the past three seasons, Wendle hit .292 with 68 doubles, 15 triples, 28 home runs and 155 RBIs. Last year in 87 games for Double-A Akron, he hit .253 with 20 doubles, five triples, eight home runs and 50 RBIs.
Wendle hit .286 for the A’s this spring, going 10-for-35 in 18 appearances. He had one double, one triple and two RBIs. But what most impressed Melvin was that fact that Wendle played flawless defense He had 29 total chances and made zero errors.
Wendle is expected to start the season at Triple-A Nashville.
The A’s also reassigned left-handers Brad Mills and Ryan Verdugo, right-handers Fernando Rodriguez and Kevin Whelan, catcher Carson Blair and first baseman Matt Olson.