Oakland Athletics designate catcher Stephen Vogt for assignment
By Tim Haberin
An All-Star the past two seasons, catcher Stephen Vogt’s lackluster showing in 2017 has earned him a DFA notice from the Oakland Athletics.
The Oakland Athletics have designated veteran catcher Stephen Vogt for assignment after parts of five seasons with the club. In a series of related moves, the A’s have placed rookie third baseman Matt Chapman on the disabled list with a knee injury while recalling catcher Bruce Maxwell and utility man Matt Olson from Triple-A Nashville.
#Athletics designate Stephen Vogt for assignment; place Matt Chapman on the DL; recall Bruce Maxwell and Matt Olson from Nashville
— Oakland A's (@Athletics) June 22, 2017
The move represents something of a sudden fall from grace for the 32-year-old Vogt, who was named an All-Star each of the past two seasons. A late-bloomer at the big league level, Vogt put up solid offensive numbers for a backstop in those campaigns, slashing .256/.322/.424 (106 OPS+) with a combined 32 home runs and 127 RBI between 2015 and 2016.
However, this season has been a completely different story for Vogt. He owns a meager .217/.287/.357 slash line with four homers and 20 RBI in 54 games. His 76 OPS+ would be the lowest of his career since his debut season with the Tampa Bay Rays in 2012. With June nearing its final week, the A’s evidently felt little reason to continue giving him at bats. His defense doesn’t provide much of a reason to keep him around either (-9 Defensive Runs Saved).
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This echoes the organization’s decision to cut ties with infielder Trevor Plouffe a week ago. Oakland designated the struggling veteran and then traded him to the Rays to make room for a younger player, in this case Chapman. Plouffe was hitting just .214/.276/.357 in 58 contests before the move. Though now sidelined, the 24-year-old Chapman was ranked as the Athletics’ number-four prospect by MLB Pipeline.
Maxwell doesn’t come with the same prospect pedigree, but the A’s clearly feel better with him on the roster than Vogt at this point. The 26-year-old catcher hasn’t seen much big league action, but he did slash .283/.337/.402 and drive in 14 runs in 33 games last season. Five-year vet Josh Phegley will presumably handle the bulk of catching duties for the time being. Though he’s not swinging the bat well himself (.612 OPS), he does offer respectable defense (3 DRS).
Despite his poor performance thus far in 2017, Vogt should get an opportunity with another team in relatively short order. As with Plouffe, a trade might even be worked out. A club seeking a backup catcher could take a chance that he’ll revive his offensive numbers. Vogt is also not much of a financial commitment, as he remains an arbitration player for the next two seasons and won’t enter free agency until after 2019.
Next: Doug Fister opts out of Angels deal
Fans should expect more changes coming to the Athletics in the weeks ahead. Though perhaps not buried in the AL Wild Card race at 6.5 games back, the pervading sense is that Oakland will sell at the trade deadline. Starting pitcher Sonny Gray and first baseman Yonder Alonso are candidates to be moved as the team continues to orient itself toward the future.
Statistics courtesy of Fangraphs.