A’s Call Up River Cat’s Trystan Magnuson

It appears that Trystan Magnuson’s luck appreciated ten fold when the A’s decided to call him up from the A’s minor league team in Sacramento.  The 6 foot 7 righty managed to accumulate a 1.56 earned average along with 12 saves in 3 games and held opponents to a .138 batting average with the River Cats.

Magnuson, who spent his college years at the University of Louisville and was an ace reliever on their 2007 College World Series Baseball team told MLB.com that he was thrown for a loop when he he was first told he was going to Oakland.

“The wide-eyed hurler first received news of his promotion on Tuesday night in Memphis, where the River Cats just began an eight-game road trip. He was called into manager Darren Bush’s office and was ragged for his unavailability.”

“I was flustered because I had been down in the bullpen the whole time, Magnuson said.  ‘That sort of stuff doesn’t fly here, or in the big leagues tomorrow.”  Magnuson, a Vancouver native, immediately woke his parents with the news.”

Magnuson will fill the role as a middle-relief for the A’s.  However, according to manager Bob Geren, he will not be put in any high pressured situations during game play, at least not in the near future that is.

This move with Magnuson has also left management to option left hander, Jeremy Blevins down to Sacramento.  The A’s say that the change was based on performance.  “Blevins allowed 24 base runners in just 13 2/3 innings of work for the A’s this year, while Magnuson surrendered just eight hits next to 18 strikeouts with nine walks over 17 1/3 frames in Sacramento.  Magnuson was throwing the ball extremely well down there,” Geren said. “We got great reports about him, and he’s replacing a guy that struggled.”

Upon the news Blevins told MLB.com he was upset, but understands that his performance has been lackluster with the A’s.  “”I’m not as happy with the way things turned out numbers-wise,” Blevins said. “I’m OK with my performance. I know I always strive to be better, but I’m a big leaguer. I belong in the big leagues, so of course I’m going to be upset not being able to do my job.”  Geren also agrees that Blevins has a chance to improve on his game with Sacramento,  and I have a feeling that we have not seen the last of Blevins returning to the A’s bullpen sometime down the road.

For now though, it is the way of the game, and for Magnuson it is his opportunity to play with a great team and his chance to show the A’s that he has what it takes to be on the mound.