By Bill Moriarity / A’s Farm Editor
April 4, 2022
The opening day 28-man roster for the A’s Triple-A affiliate Las Vegas Aviators has now been set. The team currently includes 17 pitchers and 11 position players. But on Monday, the A’s reassigned to Las Vegas five additional position players (catcher Christian Bethancourt and infielders Eric Thames, Dalton Kelly, Christian Lopes and Drew Jackson) who will not yet be on the active roster for Tuesday night’s opening game. Once they are added to the active roster, other moves will then have to be made. In 2022, the Aviators will once again be piloted by skipper Fran Riordan, who returns for his third season at the helm in Las Vegas.
The roster is headlined by 24-year-old catcher Shea Langeliers, who was acquired from Atlanta in the Matt Olson trade. The Braves’ 1st-round draft pick in 2019 is currently the A’s 2nd-ranked prospect according to MLB Pipeline. He’ll soon be joined in the Vegas catching corps by 30-year-old backstop Christian Bethancourt, who’s appeared in 161 major league games for the Braves and Padres and hit .391 in 14 games for the A’s this spring.
Aside from Langeliers, the most prominent prospect at Las Vegas will be 23-year-old shortstop Nick Allen, the A’s 3rd-round draft pick in 2017 who is currently Oakland’s 5th-ranked prospect. Another notable name in the infield mix is 28-year-old Vimael Machin, who’s appeared in 39 games for the A’s over the past two seasons and should see plenty of playing time at the hot corner and at second base for the Aviators. Former big leaguer Eric Thames, who hit 72 home runs for Milwaukee from 2017-2019, will soon join them on the squad, likely seeing some time at first base while also serving in the designated hitter role.
Meanwhile, a trio of familiar faces should see most of the playing time in the Las Vegas outfield this season. Luis Barrera, who made his big league debut for the A’s last year while also appearing in 96 games for the Aviators, Buddy Reed, who posted a .354 on-base percentage in 43 games for Las Vegas in 2021, and Mickey McDonald, who hit .333 in 56 games for the Aviators last season are all set for return engagements in Las Vegas in 2022.
The starting rotation will be led by Zach Logue, the 25-year-old lefty acquired from Toronto in the Matt Chapman trade who is currently the A’s 23rd-ranked prospect. The top candidates on the roster to follow him in the rotation include righties Adrian Martinez, part of the return from the Padres in the Sean Manaea deal, Parker Dunshee and Brian Howard, both making return trips to Las Vegas, and Collin Wiles, a minor league free agent signed in the offseason.
Some notable names in the team’s bullpen include righties Grant Holmes, the former 1st-round draft pick of the Dodgers, and Miguel Romero, along with lefties Sam Selman, claimed by the A’s off waivers from the Angels, and Adam Kolarek, who pitched for both Oakland and Las Vegas last season.
Las Vegas is set to open its season on Tuesday night, April 5, vs. Reno. You can find the team’s complete opening day roster here… Las Vegas Aviators
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