Kent

Matthes

The Rockies wanted to protect Matthes from the Rule 5 Draft in December after he hit .281/.334/.503 between Double-A and Triple-A this season. The 26-year-old will likely have a chance to earn a spot with the team in spring training.

The 28-year-old was struggling at Triple-A Nashville, slashing .233/.294/.358 with two homers, 28 RBI and a 44/17 K/BB ratio in 215 at-bats. He’ll look for a minor league deal elsewhere.

Matthes was designated for assignment by the Athletics over the weekend and passed through waivers unclaimed. The 27-year-old outfielder has struggled this season between the Double-A and Triple-A levels. He is no longer a member of Oakland’s 40-man roster.

The move clears room on the 40-man roster for the addition of Justin Marks. Matthes has hit just .217/.275/.370 with five homers between Double- and Triple-A this season.

Matthes was just optioned to Triple-A by the Rockies last week. The 27-year-old owns a .275/.332/.505 batting line over parts of five seasons in the minors and will serve as organizational depth with his new club.

Matthes made the most of his brief action this spring, picking up four hits -- including a homer -- in 11 at-bats, but he never had a real shot to crack the Opening Day roster. The 27-year-old has a shot to make his big league debut sometime this season, though.