OAKLAND, Calif. – The Oakland Athletics released veteran outfielder Stephen Piscotty on Tuesday and cleared way for top prospect Shea Langeliers to gain key experience down the stretch for the last-place team in the AL West.
General manager David Forst thanked the 31-year-old Piscotty for his impact on the club dating to his arrival ahead of the 2018 season in a trade from St. Louis that brought him back close to his home in Pleasanton.
His mother, Albuquerque native Gretchen, died in May that year from Lou Gehrig’s disease, and Piscotty helped raise awareness for ALS. Major League Baseball held its first Lou Gehrig Day last year.
Both of Stephen Piscotty’s parents attended the University of New Mexico – Gretchen first went to Del Norte High and Stephen’s father Mike to Sandia.
Stephen Piscotty helped lead the A’s back to the playoffs in 2018 after a three-year drought with career highs of 27 home runs and 88 RBIs.
“I want to acknowledge Stephen Piscotty first and just talk a little bit about his time here, which came at a really important time for us when we made that trade at the end of 2017,” Forst said in a conference call. “I appreciate everything that Stephen gave us both on and off the field in his time here.”
