Athletics' Denzel Clarke: On bench for series finale
Rotowire
Clarke is out of the lineup for Wednesday's game against the Angels.
Seth Brown will get the nod in center field in the series finale while Clarke sits for the just the second time in the last 13 games. The 25-year-old has made multiple highlight-reel plays on defense since getting his first call-up to the big leagues May 23, but Clarke is struggling to provide much fantasy utility, despite playing regularly. Aside from chipping in a home run and three stolen bases in his first 17 games, Clarke has slashed just .200/.228/.273 with a 54.4 percent strikeout rate across 57 plate appearances.
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Athletics' Denzel Clarke: Sitting Saturday
Rotowire
Clarke (shoulder) is not in Saturday's lineup against the Orioles.
Clarke was forced to exit Friday's game after colliding hard into the wall while making a catch. He'll be out of Saturday's lineup but is expected to return either Sunday or Monday, according to Martin Gallegos of MLB.com.
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Athletics' Denzel Clarke: Back in action Sunday
Rotowire
Clarke (shoulder) is starting in center field and batting ninth Sunday against the Orioles.
The 25-year-old was withheld from the starting nine Saturday after he exited Friday's contest due to a bruised left shoulder, but he's ready to play after sitting out just one game. After going 1-for-19 with 15 strikeouts in his first six big-league games, Clarke has found his footing of late with one homer, three steals and a .333/.379/.481 slash line in his past eight contests. However, he still has a 41.4 percent strikeout rate during that latter stretch, so the production may not be sustainable.
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Athletics' Denzel Clarke: Exits with bruised shoulder
Rotowire
Clarke was removed from Friday's game against the Orioles with a left shoulder contusion, Martin Gallegos of MLB.com reports.
Clarke hit the outfield wall hard while making a catch in the fourth inning of Friday's contest, and he was later replaced on defense when the A's took the field in the sixth. His status for the immediate future remains unknown.
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Athletics' Denzel Clarke: Records first major-league RBI
Rotowire
Clarke went 2-for-3 with an RBI single and two runs scored during Friday's 11-7 loss to Toronto.
The game was already out of reach for the Athletics heading into the ninth inning, but Clarke gave the A's a bit of a spark with an RBI single before being brought home on a double by Lawrence Butler. It was Clarke's first RBI and multi-hit game of his major-league career. The 25-year-old outfielder has gone 3-for-22 over his first seven games with the Athletics, and he's still adjusting to major-league pitching -- he's struck out 16 times in that span.
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Athletics' Denzel Clarke: Belts first big-league homer
Rotowire
Clarke went 1-for-3 with a two-run home run in Saturday's 8-7 loss to the Blue Jays.
The 25-year-old Toronto native lofted a second-inning fastball from Braydon Fisher down the left-field line for the first homer of his big-league career, in his eighth career game. Clarke has had a tough time in the majors so far, posting a 1:16 BB:K while batting just .160 (4-for-25), but Saturday's performance might provide him with a jolt of confidence.
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Athletics' Denzel Clarke: Getting break Thursday
Rotowire
Clarke isn't in the lineup for Thursday's game against the Blue Jays.
Clarke has gone just 1-for-17 with 13 strikeouts through his first five MLB games. He'll get a chance to clear his head Thursday while Drew Avans starts in center field, batting seventh.
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Athletics' Denzel Clarke: Officially promoted to majors
Rotowire
The Athletics recalled Clarke from Triple-A Las Vegas on Friday, Martin Gallegos of MLB.com reports.
One of the organization's top prospects, the runway has been cleared for Clarke to take over center field duties for the Athletics after JJ Bleday was sent down to Triple-A in a corresponding move. Clarke has slashed .286/.436/.419 with zero home runs, 21 RBI, 25 runs scored, seven stolen bases and a 17.3 percent walk rate across 133 plate appearances at Triple-A this season.
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Athletics' Denzel Clarke: Set for promotion
Rotowire
The Athletics are expected to call up Clarke from Triple-A Las Vegas on Friday, Jeff Passan of ESPN.com reports.
Clarke is among the organization's top prospects, and his status has risen quickly within the last year after he made a mechanical adjustment at the plate. While he's played in a hitter-friendly environment in Las Vegas this season, Clarke has struck out at a modest 22 percent clip while walking in 18 percent of his plate appearances and providing a .300/.449/.440 slash line with seven stolen bases. His power may not immediately translate to the majors, but he has elite speed and is an above-average defender in center field. His arrival to the big leagues could result in the struggling JJ Bleday moving into a fourth-outfielder role.
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Athletics' Denzel Clarke: Heads to minor-league camp
Rotowire
The Athletics optioned Clarke to Triple-A Las Vegas on Monday.
Clarke was one of 13 players the Athletics reassigned or optioned to minor-league camp Monday in the club's latest round of roster cuts. The Athletics added the 24-year-old outfielder to their 40-man roster in November following a 2024 season in which he slashed .269/.339/.445 with 13 home runs and 36 steals over 478 plate appearances at Double-A Midland. Clarke is likely to spend most of the upcoming season at Las Vegas but should have the opportunity to make his MLB debut at some point in 2025 if he shows he can handle pitching in the Pacific Coast League.
The Athletics selected Clarke's contract from Double-A Midland on Tuesday, Kiley McDaniel of ESPN.com reports.
Clarke is now on the 40-man roster after slashing .269/.339/.446 with 13 homers and 36 stolen bases at Midland last season. The 24-year-old can play all three outfield spots and will likely begin the 2025 campaign at Triple-A Las Vegas.
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Athletics' Denzel Clarke: Slugs two homers Sunday
Rotowire
Clarke went 2-for-3 with a pair of home runs and three RBI on Sunday in Double-A Midland's 4-1 win over Frisco. He also reached base on a hit by pitch.
Clarke saw his 2023 campaign come to an early end in late July due to a left shoulder strain, but he returned to full health for the start of the 2024 campaign. Though Clarke's .717 OPS over 215 plate appearances on the season lags far behind his 2023 mark (.877), the 24-year-old outfielder has caught fire at the plate of late. Over his last 11 games, Clarke has gone 17-for-38 (.447 average) with eight extra-base hits and two stolen bases.
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Athletics' Denzel Clarke: Likely done for season
Rotowire
Clarke, who was placed on Double-A Midland's 7-day injured list in late July with a left shoulder strain, was transferred to the 60-day IL on Tuesday, Melissa Lockard of The Athletic reports.
Given that Clarke last played July 21, he won't be eligible for activation until late September, essentially spelling an end to his 2023 campaign. Lockard notes that Clarke missed the first three weeks of the season with a left shoulder strain, so he may have aggravated the injury to his non-throwing arm at some point after making his 2023 debut April 25. The 23-year-old outfielder will wrap up the campaign with a .261/.381/.496 slash line with 12 home runs and 11 stolen bases in 286 plate appearances.
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Athletics' Denzel Clarke: Returns from Double-A injured list
Rotowire
Clarke (shoulder) is slashing .382/.488/.941 with four home runs, 13 runs, 11 RBI and one stolen base in 43 plate appearances over his nine games since being activated from Double-A Midland's 7-day injured list April 24.
Clarke missed the first two and a half weeks of the minor-league season while recovering from a left shoulder strain, but he hasn't had any trouble tapping into power upon being activated from the IL. For all his success thus far, the 23-year-old outfielder is striking out at a 30.2 percent clip, so expect his production to drop off considerably once his .500 BABIP regresses to a normal level.
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Athletics' Denzel Clarke: Out with shoulder strain
Rotowire
Clarke is on the 7-day injured list at Double-A Midland with a left shoulder strain, Jonathan Mayo of MLB.com reports.
Clarke presumably suffered the injury in minor-league camp, so his 2023 season will be delayed by several weeks. The 6-foot-5 slugging outfielder registered a 36.2 percent strikeout rate as a 22-year-old at High-A last year, so it will be a tall task for him to make contact at an acceptable clip in his first year against Double-A pitching.
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Athletics' Denzel Clarke: Returns from IL
Rotowire
Clarke (undisclosed) has gone 1-for-19 with three walks and four stolen bases in six games since being reinstated from High-A Lansing's 7-day injured list Tuesday.
Clarke was on the shelf for just five days with the unspecified issue, which may have been COVID-19-related. Since moving up to the High-A level in mid-June, Clarke has slashed .209/.308/.407 with eight home runs and 14 steals in 46 games.
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Athletics' Denzel Clarke: Heads to IL
Rotowire
High-A Lansing placed Clarke on the 7-day injured list Thursday due to an unspecified injury.
Lansing's season is set to come to an end Sept. 11, so Clarke's 2022 campaign could well be over if his injury keeps him sidelined beyond the minimum amount of time. Since receiving a promotion from Single-A Stockton in mid-June, Clarke is hitting .226 with eight home runs and 12 stolen bases over 180 plate appearances in the Midwest League.
Athletics' Denzel Clarke: Makes jump to High-A Lansing
Rotowire
The Athletics promoted Clarke from Single-A Stockton to High-A Lansing on Tuesday, Melissa Lockard of The Athletic reports.
Clarke will fill one of the three roster spots that opened up for Lansing after three prospects (pitchers Hogan Harris and Jeff Criswell and outfielder Austin Beck) were advanced to Double-A Midland earlier Tuesday. A 2021 first-round pick, Clarke slashed .295/.420/.545 with seven home runs and 14 steals in 193 plate appearances to earn the bump up to Lansing.
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Player Bio
HT/WT: 6-4, 220 lbs
Birthplace: Toronto, ON
Age: 25
Experience: R
Bats/Throws: R, R
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