The Oakland Athletics have re-signed Pleasanton native Stephen Piscotty, agreeing to a minor-league deal with the outfielder this month and extending an invitation to spring training. Piscotty, aged 33, has been absent from major league play since his release by the A’s midway through the 2022 season. Following his departure, he spent the remainder of that year with the Cincinnati Reds and received an invitation to spring training with the San Francisco Giants in 2023. However, he was eventually released and spent a portion of the season with a minor-league team affiliated with the Chicago White Sox.
Piscotty, an alumnus of Amador Valley High School (class of 2009) and a standout player at Stanford University, made his major league debut in 2015 with the St. Louis Cardinals. After the 2017 season, he was traded to the A’s, fulfilling his desire to play for a team closer to his hometown of Pleasanton, where his mother Gretchen was battling ALS.
During his tenure with the A’s, Piscotty had a notable 2018 season, which included a poignant home run in his first game back after his mother’s passing in May of that year. However, his subsequent years with Oakland were marked by fluctuations in performance, partly due to injuries, leading to his release in August 2022.
Piscotty’s return to the A’s was confirmed through the Major League Baseball transaction wire on February 3rd.