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Butler is out of the lineup for Sunday's game against the Blue Jays.
The 25-year-old went 0-for-3 with a strikeout Opening Day and now finds himself on the bench for a second consecutive contest. Butler sat against Toronto righty Dylan Cease on Saturday and also won't start versus lefty Eric Lauer on Sunday. Brent Rooker is instead starting in right field in order to allow catcher Shea Langeliers to receive some rest as the designated hitter.
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Athletics' Lawrence Butler: Idle Saturday
Rotowire
Butler is not in the Athletics' starting lineup against the Blue Jays on Saturday.
Butler will open Saturday's game in the dugout while the Athletics roll with Tyler Soderstrom, Denzel Clarke and Carlos Cortes in the outfield from left to right. Butler went 0-for-3 with a strikeout in Friday's 3-2 loss to Toronto, and he should continue to have scheduled rest days while recovering from offseason surgery on both of his knees.
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Athletics' Lawrence Butler: Blasts first spring homer
Rotowire
Butler (knees) started in right field and went 1-for-3 with a two-run home run in Friday's Cactus League win over the Cubs.
After making his spring debut at designated hitter Tuesday, Butler saw his first action in the outfield as the Athletics have been cautious with the 25-year-old while he recovers from surgery on his right knee and tendinitis in his left knee. His first hit of Cactus League play wasn't a cheap one, as he muscled a Jameson Taillon changeup over the left-center fence for a two-run blast in the fifth inning. Butler is coming off a 2025 season in which he slashed .234/.306/.404 across 152 games and will look to bounce back closer to his 2024 production, when he posted an .807 OPS in 125 contests.
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Athletics' Lawrence Butler: Starting in right field Friday
Rotowire
Butler (knees) will lead off and play right field for Friday's Cactus League game against the Cubs.
Butler made his spring debut Tuesday but was limited to DH duties. Now, he's been cleared to play the field. The 25-year-old had been recovering from surgery on his left knee and tendinitis in his right knee. While he may have some rust to shake off, Butler looks to be a full-go ahead of Opening Day.
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Athletics' Lawrence Butler: Hitless in spring debut
Rotowire
Butler (knees) started at designated hitter and went 0-for-3 with two strikeouts in Tuesday's Cactus League loss to the White Sox.
Butler made his long-awaited spring debut after being eased into action following October surgery to repair a torn patellar tendon in his right knee, as well as a platelet-rich plasma injection to address tendinitis in his left knee. The 25-year-old had a quiet day at the plate, going hitless with a pair of strikeouts in his final two at-bats, though simply getting into game action is more notable than the results themselves. The Athletics have Wednesday off, but Butler could make his Cactus League debut in the outfield as soon as Thursday.
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Athletics' Lawrence Butler: Making spring debut at DH
Rotowire
Butler (knees) is batting third as the designated hitter in Tuesday's Cactus League game against the White Sox.
It's the first game action of spring training for Butler, who was brought along slowly early in camp after he underwent surgery to repair a torn patellar tendon in his right knee in October while also receiving a PRP injection for tendinitis in his left knee around the same time. The 25-year-old is expected to play the outfield later this week, assuming there's no issues in his first spring action as a DH.
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Athletics' Lawrence Butler: Could return to outfield Thursday
Rotowire
Butler (knees) is expected to start at designated hitter in Tuesday's Cactus League contest against the White Sox and could resume playing the outfield in a game as soon as Thursday versus the Mariners, Martin Gallegos of MLB.com reports.
Butler is on the cusp of making his spring debut, after the Athletics have eased him along slowly in camp following his October surgery to repair a torn patellar tendon in his right knee. Around the same time, he also received a platelet-rich plasma injection to treat tendinitis in his left knee, but Butler appears to have avoided any setbacks with either knee so far during camp. He hasn't faced any restrictions with his hitting during the spring, and he looked to be moving at full speed when he ran the bases in a pregame workout Sunday. Butler has presumably been increasing his participation in defensive drills over the last few days as well, so assuming his knees check out fine after he makes his start at DH, he could be ready to play center or right field a couple days later.
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Athletics' Lawrence Butler: Eyeing Tuesday for spring debut
Rotowire
The Athletics are planning on having Butler (knees) make his Cactus League debut Tuesday versus the White Sox, Martin Gallegos of MLB.com reports.
Butler's spring debut has been delayed after he underwent surgery on his right knee in October to repair a torn patellar tendon, as well as receiving a platelet-rich plasma injection to address tendinitis in his left knee. Though the 25-year-old has been able to stay on top of his hitting progression, he's needed more time to complete a running program and take part in full defensive drills. Butler appeared to be running the bases at full speed during his workout Sunday, so the outfielder may have cleared the final hurdle in his long recovery process. Since he's already been able to get plenty of competitive at-bats in through live batting practice sessions and simulated games, Butler may need to play just a couple of Cactus League games to prove that he's ready to go for Opening Day.
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Athletics' Lawrence Butler: Progressing toward spring debut
Rotowire
Butler (knee) has yet to appear in Cactus League action but has seen extensive reps in live batting practice, simulated games and minor-league spring training games. The Athletics are targeting a debut for next week, Martin Gallegos of MLB.com reports.
Butler has been eased into action this spring after undergoing surgery to repair a torn patellar tendon in his right knee last October and receiving a platelet-rich plasma injection to address tendinitis in his left knee. Gallegos reports that the outfielder isn't far behind in his preparation for the regular season, as Athletics manager Mark Kotsay estimates Butler has had more at-bats than anyone in the organization through extensive behind-the-scenes reps. The 25-year-old played in a minor-league spring training game Tuesday, allowing him to see live pitching in a game setting without needing to run at full speed, which appears to be the final hurdle before he appears in Cactus League play. "I want to play really bad," Butler said. "It's a process. I have to trust the process. Trust the training staff, all the strength coaches helping me get back to where I want to be. I've been taking a lot of live at-bats... I'm still working every day just trying to get better and get back to myself."
Athletics' Lawrence Butler: Yet to make spring debut
Rotowire
Butler has yet to appear in Cactus League action as he works his way back from offseason knee surgery.
Butler has been slow-played this spring after undergoing surgery to repair a torn patellar tendon in his right knee last October and receiving a platelet-rich plasma injection to address tendinitis in his left knee. Updates on his progress have been limited, though Martin Gallegos of MLB.com reported Feb. 23 that the 25-year-old has been regularly taking batting practice, shagging balls in the outfield and participating in light drills, though he had yet to begin running the bases. Manager Mark Kotsay previously suggested that Butler could make his Cactus League debut in "mid-spring," though a definitive timeline remains unclear. The outfielder is coming off a 2025 season in which he slashed .234/.306/.404 across 152 games and will look to bounce back closer to his 2024 production, when he posted an .807 OPS in 125 contests, with improved health in both knees heading into 2026.
Athletics' Lawrence Butler: Spring debut will be delayed
Rotowire
Butler will be held out of Cactus League action until mid-spring as he works his way back from offseason knee surgery, Martin Gallegos of MLB.com reports.
Butler underwent surgery to repair a torn patellar tendon in his right knee last October and was also given a platelet-rich plasma injection to address tendinitis in his left knee. He is in the final stages of his rehab and is fully expected to be ready to go on Opening Day, but the Athletics will ease him into game action this spring. Butler posted a disappointing .234/.306/.404 batting line in 2025 while playing through knee problems for a chunk of the season.
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Athletics' Lawrence Butler: Completes live BP session
Rotowire
Butler (knees) took part in a live batting practice session during Monday's full-squad workout, Martin Gallegos of MLB.com reports.
Butler's ability to face live pitching early on in camp confirms that he's back to full health in advance of the 2026 campaign. Back on Oct. 3, the outfielder underwent surgery to repair a torn patellar tendon in his right knee and received a platelet-rich plasma injection to address tendinitis in his left knee, but he seems to have had a relatively normal offseason. After he broke out with an .807 OPS in 2024, Butler's knee problems may have played a factor in his downturn in productivity in 2025, when he slashed .234/.306/.404 and saw his strikeout rate jump more than four percentage points to 28.4 percent. Despite the nearly 100-point drop in his OPS, Butler still came through with strong numbers in the counting categories (21 home runs, 22 steals, 83 runs, 63 RBI).
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