A’s Outright Brandon Bielak

Sept. 25: Bielak went unclaimed on waivers and has been assigned outright to Triple-A Las Vegas, per the MLB.com transaction log. He’ll almost certainly become a free agent one way or another. He can reject the assignment right now or become a minor league free agent at season’s end, as is his right as a player with three-plus years of MLB service who was removed from a 40-man roster.

Sept. 22: The A’s announced this afternoon that they’ve designated right-hander Brandon Bielak for assignment. Right-hander Joe Boyle was recalled to the big league roster in a corresponding move, and Oakland’s 40-man roster now stands at 39.

It’s the second time this year Bielak has been DFA’d by the A’s. He was first removed from the club’s 40-man roster shortly after the club acquired him in a cash deal with the Astros back in May, and the righty was promptly outrighted to Triple-A after just three appearances in the majors. Bielak then struggled with Oakland’s Triple-A affiliate in Las Vegas, with a 6.08 ERA in 66 2/3 innings of work across 16 appearances (13 starts) but nonetheless was selected back onto the roster two weeks ago. He’s made three appearances for the A’s since returning with lackluster results, as he’s surrendered four runs on eight hits in 6 2/3 innings of work, striking out just two while walking five.

An 11th-round pick by the Astros in the 2017 draft, Bielak pitched for Houston at the big league level in each of the past five seasons before being swapped to Oakland. He served as a solid back-of-the-rotation arm and swing man from 2021-23, with a combined 4.05 ERA (104 ERA+) and 4.78 FIP in 48 games (15 starts) during those years. The righty began to struggle with the club in the majors this year, however, and in ten appearances as a multi-inning reliever surrendered a 5.71 ERA while walking (8.4%) nearly as many batters as he struck out (10.8%). Those struggles have obviously continued with the A’s, and his 2024 season comes to an end with a 5.16 ERA and 5.93 FIP in 29 2/3 innings of work. Assuming Bielak once again clears waivers, he’ll have the opportunity to reject an outright assignment in favor of heading to free agency for the first time in his career.

As for Boyle, the right-hander returns to the club’s roster to close out the season after making just four appearance in the majors since May 5 due to injuries and a stint in the minor leagues. Acquired from the Reds in exchange for Sam Moll at last year’s trade deadline, Boyle impressed with a 1.69 ERA in three starts for the A’s down the stretch last year but has had a rocky campaign this in 2024, which he kicked off by getting lit up for eight runs (seven earned) in 2 2/3 innings during his first start of the year. Boyle would go on to settle in a bit with a 4.13 ERA and a 24% strikeout rate in his next five starts, but his potential turnaround was cut short by a lower back strain that sent him to the IL in early May.

That stint on the shelf didn’t last very long, but Boyle found himself optioned to the minor leagues once he was healthy enough to return and struggled at the Triple-A level with a 5.12 ERA in 15 appearances, including 13 starts. Boyle eventually got called back up to the big leagues last month and struck out an impressive 28.2% of opponents in three starts, but surrendered a 5.40 ERA over that time and was moved to the bullpen, where he was promptly lit up for three runs on three walks and a hit-by-pitch while recording just one out. That disastrous outing resulted in Boyle’s second demotion of the year, but he’s now set to return to the majors in hopes of putting together a finish to the year that improves upon his brutal 7.12 ERA in 43 major league innings this year.