Richie

Robnett

The offseason influx of outfielders left Oakland’s minor leaguers with no chance of cracking the roster. Robnett gets an early exit exven after collecting a homer and a triple in three at-bats.

The A’s have chosen not to comment on the surgery. Robnett, who had a homer and a triple in three at-bats this spring, opened this year at high-A Stockton despite turning in a solid season in Double-A last year.

A first-round pick in 2004, Robnett hit .264 with 12 homers and 40 RBI in 79 minor league games this year.

Robnett, a 2004 first-round pick, hit .240/.330/.351 in 296 at-bats between Double- and Triple-A during a 2008 season in which he missed time due to surgery to remove a benign tumor from his stomach. That he strikes out so much prevents him from hitting for average, and he’s no longer a legitimate center fielder after putting on weight through the years. It’s doubtful that he’ll help the Cubs.

Robnett has hit for the cycle over two games since replacing Travis Buck on Phoenix’s roster. The 2004 first-round pick is back playing again after missing the final month and a half of the minor league season with a broken right hamate bone.

An easy first round of cuts for the Cubs. Robnett, who was picked up in the Michael Wuertz deal, went 2-for-17 while helping to fill in for the absent Kosuke Fukudome.

Robnett was one of the two players the Cubs picked up from the A’s for Michael Wuertz in February. The 2004 first-round pick never really belonged on the 40-man roster of either team, but there’s still a slight chance he’ll have a career as a reserve.