Athletics' Lawrence Butler: Undergoes patellar tendon surgery
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Butler underwent surgery Friday to repair a tear in his right patellar tendon.
Butler also had a debridement of chronic scar tissue in his right knee and received a platelet-rich plasma injection to combat chronic tendinitis in his left patellar tendon. The expectation is that he will be ready to go for spring training. Butler played through knee issues down the stretch of the 2025 season, but the hope is that the procedures performed Friday will allow him to put his knee problems behind him. The 25-year-old slashed .234/.306/.404 with 21 home runs and 22 stolen bases over 152 games this season.
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Athletics' Lawrence Butler: Could require knee surgery
Rotowire
Butler will meet with a doctor to determine whether surgery is required to repair a patellar tendon strain in his right knee, Martin Gallegos of MLB.com reports.
Butler played through the injury for the last couple weeks of the regular season. If he does need surgery on the knee, it's unclear at this juncture how long his rehab would take. Butler finished the 2025 campaign having slashed .234/.306/.404 with 21 home runs and 22 stolen bases over 152 contests.
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Athletics' Lawrence Butler: Nabs steal in win
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Butler went 1-for-4 with a stolen base in Friday's 4-3 win over the Royals.
Butler has gone just 3-for-22 over his last six games. He's up to 22 steals this season, including five over his last 11 contests. The outfielder has been far less consistent overall in 2025, posting a .235/.306/.406 slash line with 21 home runs, 63 RBI, 83 runs scored, 30 doubles and two triples over 151 games.
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Athletics' Lawrence Butler: Out of lineup versus left-hander
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Butler is not in the lineup for Thursday's game against the Astros.
Butler will get a day off as the Astros send left-hander Framber Valdez to the bump. Colby Thomas will occupy center field and bat fifth for the Athletics.
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Athletics' Lawrence Butler: Sitting against southpaw
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Butler is out of the lineup for Sunday's game against the Reds.
The 25-year-old outfielder doesn't always hit the bench against left-handed starting pitchers, but he'll do so Sunday with Nick Lodolo taking the mound for Cincinnati. Butler has a .584 OPS in 111 plate appearances versus southpaws this season, but he's been productive overall through 10 games in September with a .361/.439/.528 slash line.
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Athletics' Lawrence Butler: Achieves 20-20 season
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Butler went 2-for-4 with a walk, one RBI, three stolen bases and two runs scored in Saturday's 11-5 win over the Reds.
Butler's burst of speed on the basepaths secured a 20-20 season for him. Prior to Saturday, he had gone 40 games without a steal, getting caught on his two attempts in that span. He's also hit well lately, logging multiple hits in seven of his last 13 games. He's up to 20 homers, 20 steals on 27 attempts, 59 RBI, 79 runs scored and a .240/.313/.416 slash line through 141 contests this season.
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Athletics' Lawrence Butler: Reaches 20-homer mark
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Butler went 2-for-4 with a solo home run in Friday's 3-0 win over the Reds.
Butler led off the bottom of the first inning with a homer, and that was ultimately all the offense the Athletics needed. He's hit well lately, going 18-for-53 (.340) over his last 15 games, adding three homers and seven RBI in that span. The outfielder reached the 20-homer mark for the second year in a row and has added a .238/.310/.415 slash line, 58 RBI, 77 runs scored, 29 doubles and 17 stolen bases across 140 contests.
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Athletics' Lawrence Butler: Idle against lefty
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Butler is out of the lineup for Wednesday's game against the Red Sox.
For the fifth consecutive game, the Athletics are facing off against a left-handed starter (Payton Tolle), and though the left-handed-hitting Butler started in three of the previous four contests, he'll take a seat Wednesday. Colby Thomas will cover center field in Butler's stead and will bat cleanup.
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Athletics' Lawrence Butler: Not starting Monday
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Butler is not in the Athletics' starting lineup against the Red Sox on Monday.
Butler has a .188 batting average over 106 plate appearances against southpaws this season, so he'll begin Monday's game in the dugout as the Red Sox send Garrett Crochet to the mound. Tyler Soderstrom, Colby Thomas and Brent Rooker will start in the outfield from left to right for the Athletics. Butler has logged at least two hits in five of his last 10 games, and over that span he has gone 13-for-38 (.342) with six runs, two homers and five RBI.
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Athletics' Lawrence Butler: Launches 19th homer
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Butler went 3-for-5 with a solo home run, a second RBI and two total runs scored in Friday's 10-4 win over the Angels.
Butler has logged multiple hits in five of his last seven games while adding two homers and five RBI in that span. He had a poor August, batting .215 with a .688 OPS over 25 contests, but he turned things around late in the month, and that has carried over to a successful early September. On the season, the outfielder has 19 long balls, 17 stolen bases, 56 RBI, 76 runs scored and a .238/.310/.415 slash line through 135 games.
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Athletics' Lawrence Butler: Clubs homer Saturday
Rotowire
Butler went 1-for-4 with a solo home run in Saturday's 9-3 loss to the Rangers.
Butler snapped a 10-game stretch without a homer, during which he hit just .188 (6-for-32) with three RBI. The outfielder's third-inning blast got the Athletics on the board, but they were playing from behind for nearly the whole game. Butler is up to 18 long balls, 52 RBI, 71 runs scored and 17 stolen bases while slashing .229/.301/.405 over 130 contests this season.
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Athletics' Lawrence Butler: Sitting out versus Skubal
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Butler is not in the lineup for Monday's contest against the Tigers.
Butler has not been playing versus tougher left-handers, and Tarik Skubal -- who takes the ball for the Tigers in the series opener -- certainly qualifies. Colby Thomas is covering center field, and JJ Bleday will be in right field for the Athletics on Monday.
Butler went 2-for-5 with a solo home run in Sunday's 11-5 extra-inning loss to the Angels.
The Athletics outfielder cracked a 417-foot solo shot off Los Angeles starter Jose Soriano in the sixth inning. Butler has been cold since the All-Star break, batting .151 (13-for-86) with four homers, 12 runs scored and eight RBI across 26 games, as he's slipped into a strong-side platoon role. In 502 total plate appearances, the 25-year-old is now slashing .232/.304/.411 with 17 steals, 67 runs scored and 48 RBI.
Butler is out of the lineup for Sunday's game against the Orioles.
After covering center field in the first two games of the series and going 1-for-5 with a double, three walks and two runs, Butler will take a seat while the Orioles send southpaw Cade Povich to the hill. Colby Thomas will replace Butler in center field.
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Athletics' Lawrence Butler: Retreating to bench
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Butler is out of the lineup for Thursday's game against the Nationals.
The Athletics appear to be treating the left-handed-hitting Butler as a strong-side platoon player at this point; he'll be on the bench for the third time in four games, with all of his absences coming against southpaw starters. With Butler bowing out of the lineup, Colby Thomas will step in as the Athletics' starting center fielder.
Athletics' Lawrence Butler: Sitting again versus lefty
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Butler is not in the lineup for Tuesday's game against the Nationals.
The left-handed-hitting Butler was out of the lineup Sunday against the Diamondbacks versus a lefty, and he's sitting again Tuesday as the Nationals send southpaw MacKenzie Gore to the bump. Dating back to June 26, Butler has started only one of his club's last six games against lefties. The 25-year-old is slashing just .174/.220/.349 with a 38.5 percent strikeout rate versus left-handers this season and now appears to be on the long side of a platoon. JJ Bleday is in center field, and Colby Thomas is in right field for the Athletics on Tuesday.
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