MESA, Ariz. -No one with the A’s organization, from the front office to the player development staff to equipment manager Steve Vucinich, could recall the team borrowing a 17-year-old minor-leaguer for a Cactus League game.
That’s what will happen Saturday, when Oakland brings Lazarito Armenteros along for a split-squad game against the Dodgers at Camelback Ranch, in part so Armenteros can meet fellow Cuban outfielder Yasiel Puig. There are no guarantees of course that bench coach Mark Kotsay will get Armenteros into the game, but the move demonstrates how highly the A’s think of the youngster, arranging for him to meet a high-profile countryman.