Athletics Grab Thomas Off Waivers as Leiter Heads to IL

The Athletics claimed left-hander Connor Thomas off waivers from Atlanta on Thursday, moving right-hander Mark Leiter Jr. to the 60-day injured list in the corresponding transaction. The Braves had quietly designated Thomas without advance notice, hoping to slip him through waivers—a maneuver that failed, landing him in Oakland instead.

Thomas, 26, has worked primarily in relief and spot starts across three minor-league levels this season, posting a 3.71 ERA over 58 innings with a 7.8 K/9 rate. He represents the kind of lottery-ticket arm teams claim when they have roster flexibility and injury depth to absorb. For Oakland, already operating with limited rotation depth and Leiter now sidelined, the move addresses immediate staffing rather than a substantive upgrade. Leiter's IL placement creates the opening; Thomas fills it.

The waiver claim itself is low-leverage. Thomas has not pitched in the majors and carries no established track record at this level. His minor-league strikeout rate sits below league average for comparable prospect cohorts, and his ERA inflation suggests control issues in higher-leverage spots. Oakland is not unveiling a secret weapon—they are adding organizational depth on a date when rosters expand in September, betting that a prospect with 58 innings of experience might develop into a useful piece later.

For betting purposes, this move carries negligible impact on Oakland's pitching line or team-total forecasts. Thomas will not factor into rotation decisions for at least 2-3 weeks, if at all, and even if he earns a spot start, his sample size and volatility make him unreliable for prop modeling. Monitor the Athletics' rotation health and Leiter's IL timeline instead; those variables will drive meaningful line movement. Thomas is organizational filler, not a narrative changer.