Smith became a free agent Friday after the Athletics declined to tender him a contract.
The A's will officially move on from Smith after the 27-year-old infielder slashed just .185/.220/.326 through 146 big-league plate appearances. However, he put up an impressive 1.025 OPS with Triple-A Las Vegas, so he should be able to secure a minor-league deal relatively easily.
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Athletics' Kevin Smith: Sent to Triple-A
Rotowire
Smith was optioned to Triple-A Las Vegas on Tuesday.
Smith was called up from Las Vegas on Sept. 5 and played in 15 games during his three weeks with the big club, but he failed to take advantage of the playing time with a .544 OPS and 38.6 percent strikeout rate in 41 at-bats. The 27-year-old has a .185/.220/.326 slash line over 146 plate appearances in the majors this season and is now likely to close the campaign with those figures.
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Athletics' Kevin Smith: Doubles, scores in loss
Rotowire
Smith went 1-for-3 with a double and a run in a loss to the Tigers on Thursday.
Smith had one of only two extra-base hits for the Athletics on Thursday, with his two-bagger serving as his third during his current big-league stint. Smith has seen near-everyday playing time since being recalled from Triple-A Las Vegas on Sept. 5, but the same issues that have plagued him in prior samples against big-league arms persist -- the 27-year-old has just a .212 batting average across 36 plate appearances, with that figure largely the byproduct of a bloated 38.9 percent strikeout rate.
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Athletics' Kevin Smith: Remains on bench
Rotowire
Smith will sit for the second straight game Saturday against San Diego.
Smith hasn't done much to stake a claim for regular at-bats during his 42 games at the big-league level this season, slashing .200/.233/.357. Aledmys Diaz will start at third base Saturday, with Nick Allen starting at shortstop.
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Athletics' Kevin Smith: On bench Friday
Rotowire
Smith is not in the lineup Friday against the Padres.
Jordan Diaz will start at third base and bat sixth as Nick Allen plays shortstop and hits eighth. The 27-year-old Smith has slashed just .200/.233/.357 across 125 major-league plate appearances this year with the Athletics.
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Athletics' Kevin Smith: Sitting Tuesday
Rotowire
Smith is not in Tuesday's lineup against the Astros.
Smith is hitting .278 with one home run, two doubles and nine strikeouts in five games since getting recalled from Triple-A Las Vegas on Sept. 5. He could continue to see fairly steady work down the stretch, but Smith's elevated strikeout rate makes him a very volatile option over the rest of the season.
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Athletics' Kevin Smith: Slugs key blast in return
Rotowire
Smith went 2-for-4 with a three-run home run in a win over the Blue Jays on Wednesday.
Just recalled from Triple-A Las Vegas on Tuesday, the 27-year-old paid immediate dividends via a 398-foot shot to left center in the sixth inning with Jordan Diaz and Carlos Perez aboard. Smith had been running hot at the plate for the Aviators during his just-concluded 19-game stint on the farm, slashing .351/.392/.635 with nine extra-base hits and 20 RBI. However, Smith has raked in the hitter-friendly environment of the PCL before and then sputtered against big-league arms, so Wednesday's breakout represented a particularly encouraging start to his latest stay with the Athletics.
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Athletics' Kevin Smith: Recalled from Vegas
Rotowire
The Athletics recalled Smith from Triple-A Las Vegas on Tuesday.
Smith will come up from the minors to replace Lawrence Butler, who was placed on the bereavement list Tuesday. The 27-year-old Smith is slashing .324/.372/.653 through 183 plate appearances in the minors this season, but his success has yet to translate over into the big leagues with just a .546 OPS in 94 at-bats this season.
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Athletics' Kevin Smith: Reinstated, sent to Triple-A
Rotowire
Smith (back) was activated from the 10-day injured list Saturday and optioned to Triple-A Las Vegas.
The 27-year-old is fully recovered from the back strain that sent him to the injured list in mid-June, but he won't rejoin the big club now that he's healthy. Smith has appeared in 34 MLB games this season and has a .191/.216/.330 slash line and 33.3 percent strikeout rate in 102 plate appearances.
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Athletics' Kevin Smith: Leaves yard in rehab game
Rotowire
Smith (back) went 2-for-4 with a double, a solo home run and an additional run in Triple-A Las Vegas' loss to Albuquerque on Wednesday.
Smith's batting line was certainly noteworthy, but equally important was the fact he played a full game at shortstop after logging seven innings at second base Tuesday. Assuming Smith doesn't experience any residual effects from playing defense in back-to-back rehab games for the first time, he could be deemed ready for activation before week's end.
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Athletics' Kevin Smith: Plays field in rehab game
Rotowire
Smith (back) started at shortstop in Triple-A Las Vegas' loss to Sugar Land on Friday and played five innings, going 1-for-2.
Smith made his rehab debut with the Aviators on Thursday as the designated hitter, so the fact he was able to not only play on back-to-back days, but also log five innings in the field while doing so, was certainly encouraging. Smith has been sidelined since mid-June with his back strain, so he likely needs at least several more rehab games before he's fully back in sync physically and mentally.
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Athletics' Kevin Smith: Drives in run in rehab debut
Rotowire
Smith (back) started at designated hitter and went 1-for-3 with an RBI single in Triple-A Las Vegas' loss to Sugar Land on Thursday.
Smith enjoyed a solid start to his rehab assignment. The infielder will work up to playing defense in subsequent games as he completes his recovery from a mid-June back strain.
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Athletics' Kevin Smith: Begins rehab assignment
Rotowire
Smith (back) will begin a rehab assignment with Triple-A Las Vegas on Thursday.
Smith will likely need a number of rehab games before being activated. When he's ready, he should return to the top spot on the shortstop depth chart in Oakland.
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Athletics' Kevin Smith: Lands on injured list
Rotowire
Smith was placed on the 10-day injured list with a back strain Saturday.
Smith was scratched from the lineup Friday due to back issues, and he's evidently dealing with an injury serious enough to knock him out for at least 10 days. He'd only managed a .191/.216/.330 line in 102 trips to the plate prior to the injury, so his absence is unlikely to be a big blow to Oaklands' fortunes. Tyler Wade was called up to take his place on the roster, but it's Aledmys Diaz who gets the start at shortstop Saturday against the Phillies.
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Athletics' Kevin Smith: Dealing with back tightness
Rotowire
Athletics manager Mark Kotsay said Smith was experiencing back tightness ahead of Friday's game against the Phillies, Martin Gallegos of MLB.com reports.
Smith's late removal from the lineup was labeled as a precaution, so it's unlikely he's facing an extended absence. Fantasy managers should consider him day-to-day for now.
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Athletics' Kevin Smith: Scratched from lineup
Rotowire
Smith was scratched from the Athletics' lineup Friday.
It's unknown why Smith was taken out of the A's lineup, but Aledmys Diaz will take Smith's place at shortstop and bat seventh.
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Athletics' Kevin Smith: Gets breather Tuesday
Rotowire
Smith is not in the starting lineup Tuesday versus the Rays.
Smith will take a seat after he went 2-for-6 with a solo homer, two runs scored and two strikeouts while starting the last two contests. Aledmys Diaz will take over at shortstop and bat seventh against Tampa Bay.
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Athletics' Kevin Smith: Knocks fourth homer Sunday
Rotowire
Smith went 1-for-4 with a solo home run in a win over the Brewers on Sunday.
Smith joined the Athletics' offensive barrage in the seventh inning, leaving the yard via a 383-foot shot to left field for his fourth homer of the season. The shortstop had been mired in a 3-for-20 slump over the eight games prior to Sunday's, but manager Mark Kotsay appears committed to continuing to afford Smith near-everyday playing time for the moment.
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Athletics' Kevin Smith: On bench Saturday
Rotowire
Smith will sit Saturday against the Brewers, Martin Gallegos of MLB.com reports.
Smith started a pair of games after getting recalled earlier this week, going 2-for-9 at the plate. He'll retreat to the bench Saturday as Aledmys Diaz takes over at shortstop.
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Athletics' Kevin Smith: Homers in loss
Rotowire
Smith went 2-for-4 with a solo home run and an additional run scored Wednesday in a loss to the Angels.
The Athletics were routed in the contest, but Smith had a productive performance with his second homer and second multi-hit effort of the campaign. The infielder has started each of the first three games in the series against the Angels, going 4-for-10 with a pair of homers and four RBI.
