The Oakland Athletics are set to fill their void at third base by signing former All-Star Jake Lamb, multiple outlets reported.
The A’s have a third-base vacancy after All-Star Matt Chapman was lost for the season with a hip injury that will require surgery.
Lamb, an All-Star himself in 2017, had fallen on hard times with the Arizona Diamondbacks and was designated for assignment last week. The 29-year-old is a career .239 hitter over seven seasons in the desert, with 81 home runs and 303 RBIs.
Since hitting 30 home runs with 105 RBIs in 2017, Lamb has hit just 12 home runs with 62 RBIs over the next three seasons while being limited to 152 games because of shoulder issues.
Lamb is not eligible to sign a free-agent contract until he completely clears waivers on Monday. He is not expected to be claimed since a team would have to assume the $5.5 million remaining on his contract.
According to the San Francisco Chronicle, Lamb will be added to the mix in Oakland before Tuesday’s deadline for players to be playoff eligible. Oakland entered play Sunday with a 29-16 record and was in first place in the American League West by 6 1/2 games over the Houston Astros.
Chapman, an All-Star for the first time last season, is a career .255 hitter with 84 home runs and 224 RBIs in four seasons. The 27-year-old was batting .232 with 10 home runs and 25 RBIs before his season was halted when he injured his hip while fielding a ground ball on Sept. 6.