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ARLINGTON, Texas — Mark Kotsay is focusing on the Oakland Athletics‘ current season, not on the team’s long-term location.

“I’m managing this team and I don’t have control of those decisions,” he said Friday, two days after the team said it purchased land in Las Vegas with the intention of building a ballpark there for the 2027 season. “My focus is on getting this team better, improving from the maturation of these young players and winning as many games as possible.”

Kotsay played for Oakland from 2004 to 2007, was a coach from 2016 to 2021 under Bob Melvin and was promoted to manager ahead of the 2022 season.

His team was 3-16 going into Friday night’s game at Texas. The A’s had a major league low payroll of $57.8 million on Opening Day, and their average attendance of 11,027 through 12 home games is the lowest in the majors and less than half of the league average of about 27,600.

Team president Dave Kaval said “we’re turning our full attention to Las Vegas.” The A’s lease at the Coliseum expires after the 2024 season and a financing agreement for a new stadium still has to be reached.

“I feel for the fans,” Kotsay said. “Not just the fans but the employees that have been in this organization for probably longer, most, than I have. Because one of the things about this organization is the continuity and the loyalty that they’ve shown to their employees.”

Kotsay said he learned of the land purchase via text from A’s general manager David Forst during the flight to Texas.

Catcher Shea Langeliers, one of many A’s who has been with the club less than two full seasons, echoed Kotsay’s sentiments.

“It’s something that’s not really in our control,” Langeliers said. “Whether people think it’s good news, bad news, whatever the case may be, we’re just going to go play baseball.”

The A’s could become the first Major League Baseball team with homes in four cities. They started in Philadelphia from 1901 to 1954, played in Kansas City from 1955 to 1967 and have been in Oakland Coliseum since 1968.

Rangers second baseman Marcus Semien, a Bay Area native who played three years at Cal and six years for the A’s, called the situation “pretty sad” for Oakland baseball.

“The community definitely deserves a better ballpark,” Semien said, “and they’ve obviously tried for years and years and years and couldn’t get it done.”

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Rangers’ struggling García to IL with ankle injury

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Rangers' struggling García to IL with ankle injury

ARLINGTON, Texas — The Texas Rangers put struggling slugger Adolis García on the 10-day injured list with a sprained left ankle and activated outfielder Evan Carter.

Texas, which is chasing an American League wild-card berth, made the moves their series finale against the Arizona Diamondbacks on Wednesday.

Another outfielder, Wyatt Langford, was held out of the lineup because of forearm stiffness, but manager Bruce Bochy said he could be available to pinch-hit.

García is hitting .224 with 16 homers and 64 RBIs in 116 games. He hit .176 (6 for 34) during the nine-game homestand that ended with Wednesday’s game.

Carter, who turns 23 later this month, missed 10 games because of back spasms. He was in a 4-for-34 slump when he was placed on the IL on Aug. 2. He hit .238 with four homers and 21 RBIs in 55 games before then.

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D-backs’ DeSclafani to IL after turn as starter

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D-backs' DeSclafani to IL after turn as starter

ARLINGTON, Texas — The Arizona Diamondbacks placed right-hander Anthony DeSclafani on the 15-day injured list Wednesday because of right thumb inflammation after he made three starts.

DeSclafani (1-2, 4.36 ERA) has been primarily a reliever for the Diamondbacks but made the starts this month after Merrill Kelly was traded to the Texas Rangers at the deadline on July 31.

Arizona made the move with DeSclafani before the series finale at Texas, when Kelly was starting for the Rangers. The Diamondbacks recalled right-hander Casey Kelly from Triple-A Reno.

“We’re hoping for the minimal time. He’s going to get some imaging just to make sure that everything’s OK,” manager Torey Lovullo said. “This is something that popped up a couple days ago. We all felt that he was going to be able to take the baseball and go out there and compete, which he did. We saw the stuff in the first couple of innings, and we decided it was time to take him off the field.”

In the three starts this month, DeSclafani is 0-1 with a 5.59 ERA, allowing six runs in 9⅔ innings. He threw three innings Tuesday night, allowing two runs in a game Arizona won 3-2 on a homer by Ketel Marte in the ninth.

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Twins no longer for sale; owners eye investors

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Twins no longer for sale; owners eye investors

MINNEAPOLIS — The Minnesota Twins are no longer for sale, executive chair Joe Pohlad announced Wednesday on behalf of his family.

After exploring a variety of options over the past 10 months, the Pohlad family will remain the principal owner of the club and add new investors instead. Carl Pohlad, a banking magnate and the late grandfather of Joe Pohlad, purchased the Twins in 1984 for $44 million.

“For more than four decades, our family has had the privilege of owning the Minnesota Twins. This franchise has become part of our family story, as it has for our employees, our players, this community, and Twins fans everywhere,” Joe Pohlad said in his announcement. “Over the past several months, we explored a wide range of potential investment and ownership opportunities. Our focus throughout has been on what’s best for the long-term future of the Twins. We have been fully open to all possibilities.”

Pohlad said the family was in the process of adding two “significant” limited partnership groups to bring in fresh ideas, bolster critical partnerships and shape the long-term vision of the franchise that relocated to Minnesota in 1961 after originating as the Washington Senators. Details about the new investors will be kept private until Major League Baseball approves of the transactions, Pohlad said.

The Twins are on track for their lowest attendance total in 16 seasons at Target Field, and an ownership-mandated payroll reduction last year, among other factors, has contributed to a dissatisfied customer base. The Twins traded 10 players off their roster leading up to the July 31 deadline, furthering the frustration. Word that the Pohlads are staying put certainly won’t help the morale of Minnesota baseball fans, who’ve been waiting for another World Series title since 1991.

“We see and hear the passion from our partners, the community, and Twins fans. That passion inspires us,” Pohlad said. “This ownership group is committed to building a winning team and culture for this region, one that Twins fans are proud to cheer for.”

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