A's not rushing Barreto despite Semien's injury: ‘That time is not now'

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OAKLAND — The long-term wrist injury to shortstop Marcus Semien does not mean the A’s will rush top prospect Franklin Barreto to the majors.

Semien will be sidelined into June at least after he undergoes surgery Tuesday to repair a fractured scaphoid bone in his wrist. But A’s general manager David Forst said that doesn’t mean Barreto’s timetable at Triple-A Nashville gets accelerated.

“He has all of 59 at-bats at Triple-A,” Forst said Monday afternoon. “Let’s be fair to the kid and let him get the development he needs. When the right time comes, we’ll consider it. But that time is not now.”

Barreto, 21, has impressed enough in major league spring camp to suggest his time is coming very soon. He spent the large majority of last season with Double-A Midland, and the A’s want him to log more time with Nashville and continue to play innings at both shortstop and second base.

He entered Monday’s play hitting .310 with two homers and eight RBI in 11 games with Nashville. Worth noting, he’s struck out 15 times in 42 at-bats, more than one-third of the time. He’s committed one error, having played eight games at short and three at second.

Shortstop has been Barreto’s primary position in professional baseball, though some scouts feel he’s better suited for second base long term.

Forst was asked how long he thinks Barreto needs at Triple-A.

“It’s hard to say,” he responded. “It’s not science, it’s an art, knowing when a player is ready. We’ve had enough guys come through that they’ll tell you when they’re ready. You look at what Healy did last year, his performance told us when he’s ready. You hope that the player forces your hand and says it’s time.”

The A’s current plan is for Adam Rosales to get the majority of time at short with Chad Pinder also seeing some time there.

 

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