Athletics outfielder Lawrence Butler won't be in his team's lineup for their series finale with the hosting Detroit Tigers on Thursday. Manager Mark Kotsay shuffled the lineup quite a bit today. With Butler getting a routine day off, Brent Rooker will be in right field, with Nick Kurtz DH'ing and Gio Urshela manning first base. The 24-year-old has cooled a bit from a hot stretch that bridged May and June, batting just .172 (10-for-58) across his last 14 appearances. Still, it's worth noting he's on pace to set career-highs in home runs (22) and steals (18). Maybe another day off will be enough to break him out of his funk.

Athletics outfielder Lawrence Butler has been dropped from the leadoff spot to the six-hole for Tuesday's contest in Detroit against the Tigers and left-hander Tarik Skubal. It's not as if Butler has been struggling in June -- he's hit .265 (22-for-83) with three homers, seven doubles, eight RBI and two steals in 20 games during the month -- but he'll have a difficult matchup against last year's American League Cy Young winner. The 24-year-old left-handed hitter has two hits in three career at-bats versus Skubal, but he's also struggled to a .206 average (14-for-68) with three of his 11 home runs and 26 strikeouts in 73 plate appearances against lefties this year. Rookie shortstop Jacob Wilson will occupy the top spot in the A's lineup on Tuesday in Motown. Fantasy managers setting DFS lineups should look to fade Butler.

Athletics outfielder Lawrence Butler is resting on Wednesday in Sacramento against the visiting Houston Astros with a left-handed pitcher on the bump. Brent Rooker is starting in right field and is hitting third, while Max Schuemann is in left field and serving as the leadoff man against Astros left-hander Framber Valdez. The 24-year-old Butler should easily be a 20-20 man for the first time in his MLB career if he stays healthy in 2025, but he's really struggling at the plate lately. He has gone 4-for-34 (.118) with a homer, RBI, steal, one walk and 13 strikeouts in 35 trips to the plate over his last eight games, so the A's will give him a break against a tough lefty. Rooker is always a power threat in Sactown, but he's also hit just .111 with a solo home run in 18 career at-bats against Valdez. Schuemann is a deep DFS sleeper in the leadoff spot who is hitting just .230 with a homer in 74 at-bats.

Athletics outfielder Lawrence Butler hit a long home run in the A's 4-0 win over the Kansas City Royals on Saturday. Butler's seventh-inning solo blast off left-hander Daniel Lynch IV traveled 426 feet over the wall in right-center field. It was his lone knock during a 1-for-4 day and just his second HR against a lefty this season. Although the lefty-hitting Butler has struggled against southpaws, he's still putting together a nice follow-up campaign to his breakout 2024. The 24-year-old is batting .262/.326/.458 with 10 homers, 30 RBI, 11 steals, and 43 runs scored in 301 plate appearances. He has a challenging matchup Sunday against Royals lefty Noah Cameron.

Athletics outfielder Lawrence Butler went 2-for-2 with a three-run home run in his team's 10-4 loss to the Minnesota Twins. The New Jersey native doubled, scored twice, and walked thrice in the massive performance. Butler continued his hot hitting on Monday, registering his seventh multi-hit effort in the last 12 games. He's a blistering .383 over that span (18-for-47) with ten extra-base hits (six doubles, one triple, three homers), 11 runs scored, nine RBI, and two steals. He's back in the leadoff spot with his torrid stretch and is one of the more electric players in the league when he's locked in. The 24-year-old's overall triple slash is mildly pedestrian (.260/.328/.463), but his recent hot hitting is a reminder of the massive potential he holds.

Athletics outfielder Lawrence Butler was the lone bright spot for his team in an 11-1 loss to the Houston Astros on Tuesday. Butler went 3-for-3 with a solo homer in the lopsided loss while providing the only offense for the Athletics with his solo homer off Houston starter Hunter Brown in the fourth inning. It was a bomb as the shot traveled 418 feet with an exit velocity of 109.9 MPH. Butler is putting together a solid season, hitting .252 with eight homers, 26 runs, 23 RBI, and eight stolen bases across 206 at-bats. He fell just two steals shy of posting a 20/20 season in 2024 and remains a quality power/speed threat in all fantasy formats.

Athletics outfielder Lawrence Butler will head into the leadoff spot in the lineup ahead of Tuesday's game against the Houston Astros. Butler is slashing .348/.348/.739 with one home run and four RBI over the last week. That being said, the A's will ride the hot hand and move Butler into the leadoff spot for this game. He won't get an easy challenge against right-hander Hunter Brown who is sporting a 2.04 ERA with 71 strikeouts heading into this contest. Despite that, fantasy managers should make sure to get Butler into their lineups on Tuesday.

Athletics outfielder Lawrence Butler is retreating to the bench for Thursday's series finale against the division-rival Los Angeles Angels in Sacramento. Brent Rooker is in right field and batting third, Miguel Andujar is the designated hitter and batting cleanup, and infielder Max Scheumann moves up into the leadoff spot against Angels left-hander Tyler Anderson. It's a good time for Butler to take his first day off since May 11, as he's gone 8-for-36 (.222) with a homer, five doubles, seven RBI, two steals, four runs, three walks and eight strikeouts in his last nine games. The 24-year-old has hit .194 (14-for-72) in 17 games so far in May with four walks and 21 strikeouts. Although Schuemann has gone hitless in four career at-bats against Anderson, he'll have added sleeper appeal out of the leadoff spot in DFS. He has just one homer but is batting .289 (13-for-45) on the year.

Athletics outfielder Lawrence Butler teamed up with Nick Kurtz to provide all the Athletics' offense on Wednesday night, but unfortunately, their power display wasn't enough to overcome the Angels. Butler hit his seventh homer of the season in the second inning off Jack Kochanowicz, turning a 2-0 deficit into a 3-2 lead at the time. In the fifth inning, Butler reached on a fielder's choice and stole second for his eighth stolen base of the season. Butler now has two thefts in his last three games, and his fantasy managers hope he stays so aggressive on the bases. Last year, he stole 18 bases in 125 games, and he's ahead of that pace this year, although his batting average and slugging have each taken a step backward. He has hit safely in five straight games, though, so he seems to be trending up as the A's finish their series with the Angels before hosting the Phillies this weekend.

Athletics outfielder Lawrence Butler reached base twice and recorded his seventh steal of the season in Monday's 4-3 defeat against the Los Angeles Angels. Butler went 1-for-4 with a double, a walk, and a run scored, marking just the second time in May he has tallied a hit in three straight games. The 24-year-old enjoyed a breakout campaign in 2024 and got off to a productive start this season over the first month of the campaign, but his output has nosedived in May. Including Monday's showing, Butler has gone 11-for-62 with six extra-base hits (five doubles, home run), seven RBI, three runs scored, two steals, and 19:4 K:BB this month. Most of Butler's struggles have come against left-handed pitchers (slashing .128/.171/.231 vs. LHP), but he'll face a righty - the Angels' Kyle Hendricks - on Tuesday. Despite his struggles in May, fantasy managers should continue to roll with Butler in all leagues.

Athletics outfielder Lawrence Butler is retreating to the bench for a rest day in Friday's series opener in Miami against the hosting Marlins. Seth Brown will get the start in right field for the A's and will hit sixth against right-hander Valente Bellozo. It's a good time for Butler to get a little breather, as he's gone 9-for-52 (.173) with three homers, a double, six RBI, one steal and 23 strikeouts in 12 games over the last two weeks. The 24-year-old especially looks lost against left-handers of late and will sit the bench after going 0-for-5 with four strikeouts in Thursday's win over the Texas Rangers. Overall, he's hitting .244/.316/.415 with five homers, 11 RBI, 18 runs and five steals in 123 at-bats for the A's. With Butler on the bench on Friday, shortstop Jacob Wilson will move up to the leadoff spot. Brown will be avoided by most DFS gamers with a .172/.314/.310 slash line with a solo homer in his 29 at-bats this year.

Athletics outfielder Lawrence Butler went 2-for-5 with a single and a grand slam in Wednesday's 7-1 victory over the Texas Rangers. The 24-year-old was part of a big ninth inning for the A's, as the team scored six runs on the back of two home runs to put away the Rangers. His grand slam was merely insurance at that point, as teammate Brent Rooker put the team up by two runs six batters before Butler hit the dish. It was his fifth long ball of 2025 -- matching his steal total in addition to 18 runs scored and 11 RBI. The New Jersey native hasn't been quite as hot as he was to close out last season, but he's been effective from the leadoff spot yet again. Encouragingly, he's increased his BB% into the double digits (10.3%), and figures to be a boost in all five categories as long as he sustains the gains he bolstered in late 2024.

Athletics outfielder Lawrence Butler is not in Saturday's lineup against the White Sox, who will send Jonathan Cannon to the mound. Cannon is a righty, so it doesn't appear to be matchup or injury-related, simply a day of rest. It could be good for the young slugger who has slumped a bit over the past week, going 3-for-22 (.136) in the last five games, although two of those three hits were home runs. Brent Rooker will bat second and man right field on Saturday for the A's.

Athletics outfielder Lawrence Butler was a bright spot for the Athletics in Tuesday's 8-;5 loss to the Rangers. He went 1-for-4 with a solo home run and a strikeout in Tuesday's defeat. His 419-foot blast in the third inning brought Oakland within one run before Texas pulled away with a four-run fifth inning. The homer was Butler's third of the season, as he is now slashing .309/.397/.485 in April after a slow start in March. Butler will look to keep things rolling against Rangers right-hander Kumar Rocker on Wednesday.

Athletics outfielder Lawrence Butler went 2-for-5 with a home run to extend his hitting streak to four games on Thursday afternoon during their victory over the Chicago White Sox. In the opening frame, Butler would hit a leadoff double and would eventually score on a Jacob Wilson double. Later in the contest, Butler would hit a solo shot in the fifth inning off Chicago starter Chris Martin. The 24-year-old has enjoyed an impressive start to the campaign, posting a .296/.390/.451 line with two long balls and six stolen bases. He has generated a strong .355 xwOBA, 92.1 mph average exit velocity, with a 74.1 mph bat speed, which are all above the average marks. Butler remains a must-start option in all formats and is a strong play in DFS on Friday, facing Milwaukee right-hander Chad Patrick.

Oakland Athletics outfielder Lawrence Butler made an impact on the basepaths Wednesday, stealing two bases in a 3-1 win over the Chicago White Sox. Butler ended up going 1-for-5 in this one, but still contributed with his speed. It's been a mediocre start to the season for the popular breakout pick, who now has a .288 AVG and .784 OPS with a homer and four steals. Fantasy managers certainly expected more in terms of a power/speed combo, but it is still early and Butler is a fairly streaky hitter. He is at least contributing to AVG and steals and could go off at any time, so holding tight is likely the best option for his fantasy owners.

Athleticsoutfielder Lawrence Butler went 2-for-5 with a solo home run, two RBI, and a run scored in Sunday's 12-5 loss to the Rockies. The 6-foot-3 left-handed slugger, who signed a big off-season contract extension, got off to a slow start to begin the year, going 4-for-24 (.167) over the first seven games, but now has three consecutive multi-hit efforts during which time he is 7-for-14 (.500). The 24-year-old is now hitting .289 on the young season with four extra base hits, two RBI, six runs scored, one stolen base, and a fantastic 6:5 BB:K. It amounts to a .370 wOBA and a 142 wRC+ for the former sixth-round draft pick, who should continue to be a strong fantasy producer hitting atop the A's lineup.

The Athletics and their dynamic young outfielder Lawrence Butler have agreed to a seven-year, $65.5 million contract extension. In 2024, the former sixth-round draft pick slashed .262/.317/.490 with 22 home runs and 18 stolen bases in just 125 games (451 PA). The 24-year-old is a power-speed threat, batting atop the A's lineup in front of home run hitters Brent Rooker and Shea Langeliers, so fantasy managers should expect solid production across the board from the youngster. ATC projections, which are conservative by nature, see the left-handed hitter with a .250-24-69-77-19 line in 2025, and he's got an NFBC ADP of 68, which is right around where RotoBaller has him ranked at 64 overall.

Athletics outfielder Lawrence Butler is engaged in talks with the team about a long-term contract extension after his breakout performance in 2024, according to people briefed on the discussions who weren't authorized to speak publicly. The 24-year-old power and speed threat hit .262/.317/.490 with an .807 OPS, 22 home runs, 57 RBI, 18 stolen bases and 63 runs scored in 125 games in his first full season in the big leagues. He hit .219 with 20 home runs in 84 games in the second half after being called up from the minors in June. The Athletic's Evan Drellich thinks the five-year, $25 million extension that outfielder Myles Straw got from his former team, the Guardians, represents a low-end comparison for Butler's potential deal. Butler's ceiling for an extension could be the eight-year, $100 million deal Atlanta gave Ronald Acuna Jr. A seven-year, $55 million deal could be a nice starting point.

Oakland Athletics outfielder Lawrence Butler (illness) is back in right field and is batting leadoff for the A's on Wednesday against the division-rival Houston Astros and right-hander Hunter Brown at Minute Maid Park. Butler was under the weather on Monday but is feeling better on Tuesday and will return atop Oakland's batting order. The 24-year-old former sixth-round selection in 2018 is having a breakout campaign in just his second year in the majors and in his first full season in the big leagues. He comes into Wednesday's game slashing .270/.324/.523 with an .847 OPS, 21 home runs, 54 RBI and 14 stolen bases in 110 games played. Butler's second half has been more impressive, as he's hit .328/.368/.638 with a 1.006 OPS, 12 homers, 29 RBI and eight stolen bases in 46 games. Get him back into your lineups on Wednesday now that he's feeling better.