Franklin Barreto just wants a chance to prove he belongs in the big leagues.
With Stephen Piscotty on the 10-day injured list, the Oakland Athletics recalled Barreto from Triple-A Las Vegas last weekend.
Barreto hit a solo home run Friday night as the A’s defeated the host Seattle Mariners 5-2 in the opener of a three-game series. The teams meet again Saturday night at T-Mobile Park.
Barreto, 23, was batting .296 with 12 home runs and 48 RBIs in 73 games at Las Vegas. In his past 40 games for the Aviators, he was batting .358.
“After getting off to a bit of a slow start, he’s been on a real hot streak,” A’s manager Bob Melvin said.
That slow start led him to bat just .205 with 33 strikeouts in April.
“I was almost crossed with my legs,” Barreto told MLB.com. “I spread my legs out more and started seeing the ball better. I’ve been more consistent and feel good. This is the most comfortable I’ve been at the plate.”
Barreto, who came up through the minors with first baseman Matt Olson and third baseman Matt Chapman, was ranked as the Athletics’ best hitting prospect in both 2016 and 2017.
Barreto was recalled from Triple-A and sent back down six times in 2018, when he finished with a .233 batting average in 32 games. There’s always been someone blocking the path of the young second baseman, first Jed Lowrie and now Jurickson Profar.
Barreto has even played some outfield in Triple-A to add to his versatility.
“For a little guy, he’s got a ton of power. He’s probably our fastest guy now,” Melvin said. “A few years ago, this was our top prospect. Now it looks like he’s going to get some games here. He’s a pretty dynamic player. I hope he gets off to a good start, because he could really add to our lineup.”
Barreto’s homer was Oakland’s only hit off Mariners left-hander Yusei Kikuchi until the sixth inning. The A’s scored twice in the seventh to take the lead for good.
“Yusei threw the ball really well,” Mariners manager Scott Servais said. “He had good stuff as far as his velocity. I think it was the best sequencing of his pitches we’d seen from him all year. He mixed in some really effective changeups, which is becoming another weapon for him. He was very efficient and getting after them. Really good outing. Unfortunately, we didn’t do enough offensively to give him a chance to win the ball game.”
The Mariners are scheduled to start left-hander Marco Gonzales (9-7, 4.39 ERA) on Saturday against A’s right-hander Chris Bassitt (5-3, 3.80).
Gonzales had a four-game winning streak snapped with a 6-1 loss at Houston his last time out despite allowing only three runs on six hits in five innings.
Gonzales is 3-1 with a 3.34 ERA in six career appearances against the A’s, including five starts. He’s 2-0 with a 2.77 ERA against them this season, including a victory in the season opener in Japan.
Bassitt is 0-3 with a 3.60 ERA in six career appearances against Seattle, with five starts. He suffered a 9-2 loss to the Mariners on June 14 in Oakland, allowing four runs (three earned) on five hits in 5 2/3 innings, with four walks and four strikeouts.