Athletics general manager Billy Beane said last October that he felt Daric Barton was the “best first baseman in the league” last season. My how things can change in a hurry.
According to Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle, Barton was optioned to Triple-A Sacramento following tonight’s victory over the Mets. He was presumably sent down to make room for second baseman Mark Ellis, who is expected to return from the disabled list tomorrow.
Barton is batting just .212/.325/.267 with zero homers and 20 RBI over 280 plate appearances this season. The 25-year-old entered play Tuesday with the second lowest slugging percentage among qualified batters. Yes, only Chone Figgins is worse. Barton was dropped out of the No. 2 spot by former manager Bob Geren earlier this month and found himself on the bench over the past two games, so this move doesn’t come as a major surprise.
Conor Jackson will likely draw most of the starts at first base for now. The 29-year-old is hitting .258/.350/.321 with one home run, 19 RBI and a .670 OPS over 184 plate appearances this season.