OAKLAND – The team that returns home to the Coliseum Friday to face the Nationals will have a different construction to it than the team that left.
The obvious change has been with infielder Chad Pinder, whose home run output have forced the A’s to play him regularly. You can expect to see him at shortstop much of the time with the Nationals and the Blue Jays visiting Oakland on the road trip.
The more subtle change is behind the plate. Catcher Stephen Vogt has been entirely too quiet at the plate and on defense. So he’s quietly being moved into a shared catching role with Josh Phegley.