Athletics claim LHP Connor Thomas off waivers from Atlanta

What happened

The Athletics announced they have claimed left-hander Connor Thomas off waivers from the Atlanta Braves. As a corresponding move, right-hander Mark Leiter Jr. was transferred to the 60-day injured list, which removes him from the 40-man count. The Athletics' 40-man roster now sits at 39.

The waiver claim itself came with a quiet backstory: per MLB Trade Rumors, there was no prior indication that Atlanta had designated Thomas for assignment. The Braves, it appears, attempted to slip him through waivers without drawing attention. The Athletics had other ideas.

Why it matters

The surface-level case against this claim is not subtle. Thomas, who signed a minor league deal with Atlanta in the offseason and was added to the Braves' roster earlier this month, made two big league appearances for Atlanta — and they did not go well. Per MLB Trade Rumors, he allowed 15 earned runs in 6 1/3 innings in those outings. That follows a similarly difficult stretch with the Brewers last year, when he allowed 12 earned runs in 5 1/3 innings. The cumulative result: a 20.83 ERA across 11 2/3 career MLB innings. That number is not a typo, and it is not a rounding artifact.

So why claim him? Per MLB Trade Rumors, the Athletics are presumably focusing on his minor league track record rather than his big league line. Thomas posted strong Triple-A numbers in 2025, and for a club at 64-98 with no postseason path remaining, the calculus on a waiver claim shifts considerably. The 40-man roster spot costs something — Leiter's transfer to the 60-day IL provided the opening — but the downside risk of a claim like this is largely theoretical when the standings have already rendered their verdict.

There is also the organizational texture of the move. Thomas stalled out as a starter in the Cardinals' system a few years ago, per MLB Trade Rumors, and has been navigating the minor league deal circuit since. The Athletics, operating with a roster that has room to absorb a reclamation attempt, are reportedly betting that whatever produced those Triple-A numbers is more durable than what showed up in his brief MLB stints.

Why did Atlanta try to sneak him through?

The Braves' decision to quietly attempt a waiver pass — rather than outright releasing Thomas — suggests Atlanta saw some residual value worth protecting. Per MLB Trade Rumors, there was no public indication a designation for assignment had even occurred before the claim was announced. That kind of low-profile roster management is not unusual for a club trying to retain a player's rights, but it does underscore that Thomas's minor league profile carries enough interest to make the attempt worthwhile. Whether the Athletics' claim reflects a similar read on that profile, or simply a willingness to take a low-cost look, is not addressed in the announcement.

Where the club stands

The Athletics are 64-98 (.395), sitting 4th in the AL West, 17 games back in the division, and eliminated from both the division race and the Wild Card race — ranked 11th in Wild Card standing, 20.0 games relative to the cut line. They have dropped their last two games heading into a home stretch at Sutter Health Park.

Thursday brings the Boston Red Sox to the park, with Mason Barnett scheduled against Sonny Gray. Friday opens a series against the Detroit Tigers, with Jeffrey Springs opposing Tyler Holton. Saturday continues that matchup, with Jack Perkins lined up against Framber Valdez.

That schedule — a Red Sox ace followed by a Tigers rotation — is not the softest possible backdrop for integrating a newly claimed left-hander. But with the season's competitive stakes already settled, the Athletics have the latitude to figure out what Thomas can and cannot do at the big league level without the outcome mattering to a standings column.

Those figures frame the Thomas claim in their proper context. This is not a roster move designed to push a contender over a threshold. It is the kind of depth addition that makes sense precisely because the standings have removed the pressure of short-term results. A 20.83 ERA is alarming in April; in late July on a team eliminated from both races, it is a data point to work around rather than a disqualifier.

What we don't know yet

The announcement covers the transaction; it does not specify what role Thomas is expected to fill or whether he will remain on the active roster. Per MLB Trade Rumors, he was mostly on optional assignment during his time with Atlanta after being added to the roster earlier this month, which means the Athletics have some flexibility in how they deploy him going forward.

The nature of Leiter's injury and any associated timetable are not detailed in the corresponding move. The 60-day IL designation removes him from the 40-man roster for the duration of that period — which is the mechanical reason it created the roster space for Thomas — but the specifics of Leiter's situation remain unaddressed in the available reporting from MLB Trade Rumors.

What to watch

The obvious question is whether Thomas gets a big league opportunity with the Athletics, and if so, what the results look like against a different backdrop than his Atlanta appearances. His Triple-A track record in 2025 is the reason the Athletics reportedly made the claim; the gap between that and his MLB line is the thing worth watching closely.

More broadly, the Leiter transfer is worth monitoring. Moving a pitcher to the 60-day IL is a significant designation, and any update on his status would clarify the Athletics' pitching depth picture for the remainder of the season.

For a club at 64-98 with a home series against Boston and Detroit on deck, the Thomas claim is a low-stakes addition in the standings sense — but it is exactly the kind of move that defines what a lost season can still accomplish. Depth is built in July. Sometimes it arrives via waivers, carrying a 20.83 ERA and a Triple-A résumé that someone, somewhere, decided was worth a closer look.