Athletics claim Hunter Bigge off waivers from Rays, designate Taylor Rashi

Per a club announcement reported by Steve Adams of MLB Trade Rumors, the Athletics have added right-handed reliever Hunter Bigge to their roster via a waiver claim from the Rays. To clear the spot, fellow right-hander Taylor Rashi was designated for assignment.

What happened

Tampa Bay made Bigge available on waivers, and the Athletics were the club that put in the claim — a transaction Adams reported alongside the corresponding Rashi DFA. Bigge, 28, has spent his entire major league career in the bullpen, totaling 51 2/3 innings at that level and carrying a career 4.18 ERA. His 2026 numbers are a different story: a 6.98 ERA across 19 1/3 innings this season, a walk rate that exactly matches his strikeout rate at 14 apiece, and a slider that, per Adams, has been hammered by opposing hitters.

The backstory on how Bigge landed in Tampa Bay is worth a moment. Originally a 12th-round pick by the Cubs in 2019, he was dealt to the Rays as part of the return package in the Isaac Paredes trade — a deal the Rays, per Adams, would probably like to have back. Bigge and right-hander Ty Johnson were the secondary pieces behind ostensible headliner Christopher Morel in that transaction. Neither Bigge nor Morel — the latter non-tendered last winter — remains in the Tampa Bay organization. Johnson, meanwhile, entered this season ranked 16th among Cubs farmhands by Baseball America, has split time between the rotation and bullpen at Triple-A, and made his big league debut a few days ago. Paredes was subsequently dealt to the Astros in the Kyle Tucker deal and has slashed .257/.356/.439 with 39 homers, 40 doubles, and a pair of triples in Houston. The Paredes trade is the kind of transaction that ages in layers, and it keeps aging.

Why it matters

For a Rays club that Adams describes as contending with a loaded 40-man roster, carrying a project arm with a 6.98 ERA and a walk rate that mirrors his strikeout rate is a difficult ask. The A's calculus is different. Sitting at 59-88 and eliminated from both the division race and the Wild Card race, the club is in the portion of the calendar where September roster expansion — which allows clubs to carry up to 28 players — exists precisely to answer questions like: what does this arm look like with a fresh set of eyes and a different pitching staff around him?

Bigge throws hard. His fastball is still averaging 96.5 mph this season, even after losing, per Adams, a mile off his average velocity from prior years. The raw stuff is there. The command, the secondary arsenal, and the contact suppression are not — at least not right now. Opponents are averaging 90.8 mph off the bat against him with a 46.2% hard-hit rate, and he has allowed seven home runs in 29 1/3 Triple-A innings at Durham on top of his major league struggles. His walk rate in those minor league frames was 14.8%, against a strikeout rate of 27.4% — the strikeout ability is real, but the walks undercut it badly.

Adams also notes that Bigge missed the bulk of last season with a lat strain, which lends additional context to this year's velocity dip and diminished command. None of that is a reason to write off a 28-year-old who can still run a fastball to 96.5 mph, but it does explain why a contender passed and a rebuilding club is the one rolling the dice.

The numbers

Bigge's season line: a 6.98 ERA across 19 1/3 major league innings in 2026, against a career 4.18 ERA over 51 2/3 big league frames. He has walked 14 batters and struck out 14 this season — a ratio that, for a power arm, is the kind of thing that keeps pitching coaches up at night. At Triple-A Durham, he posted a 6.14 ERA with a 27.4% strikeout rate and a 14.8% walk rate across 29 1/3 innings, allowing seven home runs. The Statcast picture is not kind: opponents are hitting 90.8 mph off the bat against him with a 46.2% hard-hit rate. His slider has been hit hard, and his curveball — 41 career big league pitches — and splitter — 18 career big league pitches — remain more experiments than weapons, per Adams.

Where the club stands

The Athletics enter the weekend at 59-88 (.401), sitting 4th in the AL West, 16 games back in the division, and ranked 11th in the Wild Card picture — 15.0 games relative to the cut line. They carry a one-game winning streak into a home series against the Seattle Mariners at Sutter Health Park, with Jeffrey Springs opposing George Kirby on Friday, Gage Jump facing Bryan Woo on Saturday, and Jacob Lopez drawing Bryce Miller on Sunday. Springs, who threw 7 scoreless innings against Seattle earlier this month in his first win since April, gets the series opener.

The bullpen context matters here. A few days removed from placing J.T. Ginn on the 15-day IL with a right elbow impingement — a move that came with the club leaving open the possibility of a September return, while noting he had not pitched since August 26 — the A's have been actively reshaping their relief corps. The Rashi DFA and Bigge claim are the latest adjustments in a September that has already included the release of José Suarez following his own DFA.

On the position player side, catcher Shea Langeliers began a rehab assignment with Triple-A Las Vegas, going 2-for-3 with a double in his first game back as he recovers from right knee meniscus surgery. His return to the majors is described as coming into view.

What we don't know yet

The club announcement covers the transaction itself — Bigge claimed, Rashi designated — but does not address how the A's intend to deploy Bigge, whether he slots immediately into the active roster, or what the timeline looks like for Rashi's next step following the DFA. Under general league rules, a player designated for assignment must be traded, released, or placed on outright waivers within seven days, so that clock is now running on Rashi.

It also remains to be seen whether the mechanical issues that produced a 6.98 ERA and a 46.2% hard-hit rate this season are correctable in the final weeks of a lost campaign, or whether this is simply a look-and-see addition for a club with the roster flexibility to absorb the uncertainty.

What to watch

The obvious follow-up question is whether Bigge can rediscover the command that his fastball velocity suggests should be there. A 96.5 mph average heater paired with a 14.8% walk rate in Triple-A is a puzzle, not a verdict — but it is a puzzle that Tampa Bay decided it no longer had time to solve. The A's, with September games against Seattle and no postseason stakes to protect, have the luxury of patience that a contender does not.

Watch also for the Rashi DFA resolution over the next seven days, and for any update on Ginn's elbow as the club weighs whether a return before season's end remains realistic. Langeliers' rehab progression at Las Vegas is the other thread worth following — his timeline back to the active roster will shape how the A's manage their catching situation through the final weeks of the year.

For now, Bigge is an Athletic, and the A's are, as Adams put it, rolling the dice. In mid-September, with a 59-88 record and a roster full of open questions, that is more or less the job description.