by Bill Moriarity / A’s Farm Editor
April 1, 2024
With the Lansing Lugnuts set to start their season on Friday, the opening day roster of the A’s High-A affiliate in the Midwest League has now become official. High-A teams can carry 30 players on the active roster, and the Lugnuts, led by second-year manager Craig Conklin, are opening the season with 16 pitchers and 14 position players on their active roster. The A’s minor league affiliates in Midland and Stockton are both expected to announce their rosters prior to their opening days later this week.
The team’s catching corps consists of a pair of returning Lugnuts supplemented by one new addition. 23-year-old CJ Rodriguez, a former 5th-round pick, and 22-year-old Venezuelan backstop Carlos Amaya will both be behind the plate for Lansing again this year. And the pair will be joined by Amaya’s fellow Venezuelan, 23-year-old receiver Jose Mujica, who handled the bulk of the catching duties for Stockton last season.
Familiar names Euribiel Angeles, Colby Halter, Joshwan Wright and T.J. Schofield-Sam will all be returning to Lansing this season to be a part of the team’s infield mix. The 21-year-old Angeles, who was acquired from the Padres as part of the Sean Manaea trade, will likely get most of the reps at shortstop, while the 22-year-old Halter, last year’s 17th-round pick, could see most of the starts at second base. Wright has spent plenty of time at both third and second. And while Schofield-Sam has spent most of his time at third and first, he’s expected to see plenty of time in the outfield as well this season. Dereck Salom, who spent last season playing third and second for Stockton, will also be in the Lugnuts’ infield mix. And slugging first baseman Will Simpson, last year’s 15th-round pick who hit. 322 in 29 games for Stockton last year, should get most of the reps at first base for Lansing. Meanwhile, shortstop Jacob Wilson, last year’s 1st-round pick for the A’s who finished last season with Lansing, appears set to start the season with Double-A Midland.
Jonny Butler, Brayan Buelvas and Danny Bautista, who’ve all previously spent time with the Lugnuts, will be in the team’s outfield mix this season. Cameron Masterman joins the squad after spending most of last season with Double-A Midland. And 20-year-old Henry Bolte, the A’s 2nd-round pick in 2022 who led Stockton with 14 home runs and 32 stolen bases last season, will make the jump to High-A this year. Meanwhile, Clark Elliott will open the season on the injured list for Lansing.
The Lugnuts look set to open the season with a starting rotation that includes returning righties Mitch Myers, Jacob Watters, Jake Garland and Jose Dicochea as well as southpaw James Gonzalez. Also competing for starts will be lefty Eduardo Rivera and righties Luis Carrasco, Grant Judkins, who spent all of last season on the injured list, and Wander Guante, who was twice named California League Pitcher of the Week last season while with Stockton. Lansing’s bullpen is set to include lefties Jack Owen, Garrett Irvin and Colton Johnson as well as righties Hunter Breault, Yehizon Sanchez, Blaze Pontes and Dylan Hall, who was signed as a minor league free agent after pitching at three different levels in the Mets’ organization last year. Meanwhile, Cuban righties Luis Morales and Pedro Santos, both of whom finished last season with Lansing, are expected to start the season with Double-A Midland.
Lansing Lugnuts Complete Roster
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Morales has barely pitched so no way he is going to AA. Now I see he is injured.