OAKLAND, Calif. _ The A's made a roster splash Thursday on getaway day, signing outfielder Trayce Thompson _ brother of Warriors' guard Klay Thompson _ off waivers.
Thompson, 27, is at his family's home in Southern California and will join the A's during their upcoming three game series in Anaheim against the Los Angeles Angels.
After being designated for assignment by the Dodgers last week, Thompson was claimed by the New York Yankees. The Yankees subsequently put him on waivers and he was claimed by the A's.
"I think it's pretty cool," A's manager Bob Melvin said before the A's wrapped up their homestand against the Texas Rangers. "I talked him just a little bit before he came out here and he's really excited. We will see him in Anaheim and I think everybody's pretty excited about that. Not just on the team but the fan base might like that as well."
Melvin said he hasn't met Trayce but does know Klay and that "I'm sure he's happy about this too. There's a lot of reasons this makes sense. The times we've seen him in spring training he's swung the bat well. Hit a home run against us this spring too. You watch him move around in the outfield, it's impressive."
Thompson, a second-round draft pick by the White Sox in 2009, played for Chicago in 2015 and for the last two seasons with the Los Angeles Dodgers after being traded. He has a career batting average of .233 with 19 home runs and 50 RBIs.
The 6-foot-3 Thompson played basketball in high school as did Klay _ who at 28 is one year older _ but gave up the sport to concentrate on baseball. He planned on playing in college at UCLA until he was drafted in the second round by the White Sox.
