Dan Straily Joining Oakland Athletics Rotation

A year ago, the name Dan Straily would hardly have produced an upturned eyebrow from baseball people. A 24th-round pick by the Oakland Athletics in 2009, Straily’s numbers were decent, but nothing special — that is, until this year, when he rocketed through both Double- and Triple-A in the A’s chain.

Straily has a 2.86 ERA in 22 starts combined between Double-A Midland and Triple-A Sacramento, and now he’s going to be in the A’s rotation. Susan Slusser:

Straily, 23, has 175 strikeouts in 138 1/3 minor-league innings this year, and he’s the A’s player every other team asked for in talks leading up to the deadline. The A’s hung onto him and brought him up themselves.

I am told this is not an injury situation, no one is going on the DL to make room for either player. So two players likely will be demoted, and obviously one will be an infielder (Brandon Hicks, I presume) and my guess on the other is a reliever, likely Jim Miller.

That would mean Travis Blackley would move into the bullpen as a long guy.

Slusser notes that Straily would likely take Blackley’s rotation spot, which comes up Friday night in Oakland against the Blue Jays.