Athletics' Lawrence Butler: Sitting against left-hander
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Butler is absent from the lineup for Wednesday's contest in Atlanta.
Atlanta is sending left-hander Chris Sale to the mound, and this marks the second time in three games versus southpaws this season that the lefty-swinging Butler is out of the lineup. Brent Rooker is getting a start in right field and Shea Langeliers will be the designated hitter for the Athletics.
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Athletics' Lawrence Butler: Back in lineup Monday
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Butler is starting in center field and batting sixth for Monday's game against Atlanta.
Butler made a defensive miscue in the outfield on Opening Day and went 0-for-3 at the plate. He then was omitted from the starting lineup in each of the final two contests against the Blue Jays, but Butler is back in there for a homecoming game in Atlanta.
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Athletics' Lawrence Butler: Sitting again Sunday
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Butler is out of the lineup for Sunday's game against the Blue Jays.
The 25-year-old went 0-for-3 with a strikeout Opening Day and made a defensive miscue after shifting from right field to center that led to an Andres Gimenez triple, and Butler now finds himself on the bench for a second consecutive contest. He sat against Toronto righty Dylan Cease on Saturday, but it's lefty Eric Lauer on the bump for the home team Sunday. Denzel Clarke is back in center Sunday while Brent Rooker starts in right field, allowing catcher Shea Langeliers to receive some rest as the designated hitter.
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Athletics' Lawrence Butler: Idle Saturday
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Butler is not in the Athletics' starting lineup against the Blue Jays on Saturday.
Butler will open Saturday's game in the dugout while the Athletics roll with Tyler Soderstrom, Denzel Clarke and Carlos Cortes in the outfield from left to right. Butler went 0-for-3 with a strikeout in Friday's 3-2 loss to Toronto, and he should continue to have scheduled rest days while recovering from offseason surgery on both of his knees.
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Athletics' Lawrence Butler: Blasts first spring homer
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Butler (knees) started in right field and went 1-for-3 with a two-run home run in Friday's Cactus League win over the Cubs.
After making his spring debut at designated hitter Tuesday, Butler saw his first action in the outfield as the Athletics have been cautious with the 25-year-old while he recovers from surgery on his right knee and tendinitis in his left knee. His first hit of Cactus League play wasn't a cheap one, as he muscled a Jameson Taillon changeup over the left-center fence for a two-run blast in the fifth inning. Butler is coming off a 2025 season in which he slashed .234/.306/.404 across 152 games and will look to bounce back closer to his 2024 production, when he posted an .807 OPS in 125 contests.
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Athletics' Lawrence Butler: Starting in right field Friday
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Butler (knees) will lead off and play right field for Friday's Cactus League game against the Cubs.
Butler made his spring debut Tuesday but was limited to DH duties. Now, he's been cleared to play the field. The 25-year-old had been recovering from surgery on his left knee and tendinitis in his right knee. While he may have some rust to shake off, Butler looks to be a full-go ahead of Opening Day.
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Athletics' Lawrence Butler: Making spring debut at DH
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Butler (knees) is batting third as the designated hitter in Tuesday's Cactus League game against the White Sox.
It's the first game action of spring training for Butler, who was brought along slowly early in camp after he underwent surgery to repair a torn patellar tendon in his right knee in October while also receiving a PRP injection for tendinitis in his left knee around the same time. The 25-year-old is expected to play the outfield later this week, assuming there's no issues in his first spring action as a DH.
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Athletics' Lawrence Butler: Eyeing Tuesday for spring debut
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The Athletics are planning on having Butler (knees) make his Cactus League debut Tuesday versus the White Sox, Martin Gallegos of MLB.com reports.
Butler's spring debut has been delayed after he underwent surgery on his right knee in October to repair a torn patellar tendon, as well as receiving a platelet-rich plasma injection to address tendinitis in his left knee. Though the 25-year-old has been able to stay on top of his hitting progression, he's needed more time to complete a running program and take part in full defensive drills. Butler appeared to be running the bases at full speed during his workout Sunday, so the outfielder may have cleared the final hurdle in his long recovery process. Since he's already been able to get plenty of competitive at-bats in through live batting practice sessions and simulated games, Butler may need to play just a couple of Cactus League games to prove that he's ready to go for Opening Day.
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Athletics' Lawrence Butler: Progressing toward spring debut
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Butler (knee) has yet to appear in Cactus League action but has seen extensive reps in live batting practice, simulated games and minor-league spring training games. The Athletics are targeting a debut for next week, Martin Gallegos of MLB.com reports.
Butler has been eased into action this spring after undergoing surgery to repair a torn patellar tendon in his right knee last October and receiving a platelet-rich plasma injection to address tendinitis in his left knee. Gallegos reports that the outfielder isn't far behind in his preparation for the regular season, as Athletics manager Mark Kotsay estimates Butler has had more at-bats than anyone in the organization through extensive behind-the-scenes reps. The 25-year-old played in a minor-league spring training game Tuesday, allowing him to see live pitching in a game setting without needing to run at full speed, which appears to be the final hurdle before he appears in Cactus League play. "I want to play really bad," Butler said. "It's a process. I have to trust the process. Trust the training staff, all the strength coaches helping me get back to where I want to be. I've been taking a lot of live at-bats... I'm still working every day just trying to get better and get back to myself."
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Athletics' Lawrence Butler: Spring debut will be delayed
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Butler will be held out of Cactus League action until mid-spring as he works his way back from offseason knee surgery, Martin Gallegos of MLB.com reports.
Butler underwent surgery to repair a torn patellar tendon in his right knee last October and was also given a platelet-rich plasma injection to address tendinitis in his left knee. He is in the final stages of his rehab and is fully expected to be ready to go on Opening Day, but the Athletics will ease him into game action this spring. Butler posted a disappointing .234/.306/.404 batting line in 2025 while playing through knee problems for a chunk of the season.
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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
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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: 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: 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: Clubs homer Saturday
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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 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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Athletics' Lawrence Butler: Not in Sunday's lineup
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Butler is out of the lineup for Sunday's game against the Diamondbacks.
The 25-year-old started the previous nine games and will receive a day off against Arizona lefty Eduardo Rodriguez. Butler struggled to a .461 OPS and 30 percent strikeout rate during that span. Brent Rooker will get a look in right field while Shea Langeliers rests his legs as the designated hitter.
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Athletics' Lawrence Butler: Swats leadoff home run
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Butler went 1-for-5 with a solo home run in Tuesday's loss to the Rangers.
Butler opened up the game with a leadoff home run against Jacob deGrom but was silenced the rest of the way. The long ball was Butler's first hit since coming back from the All-Star break and he's struck out nine times over his last three games. He's hitting just .193 across 16 games in July while posting a 33.3 strikeout rate over that span.
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Athletics' Lawrence Butler: Beginning on bench Saturday
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Butler isn't in the starting lineup for Saturday's clash against Cleveland.
The lefty-hitting Butler will take a seat to begin the game against Guardians southpaw Logan Allen. Brent Rooker is starting in right field for the Athletics, while Shea Langeliers is getting a day off his feet as the DH.
