Sheldon Neuse claimed off waivers by A’s

The never-ending limbo period for Sheldon Neuse has ended. The Dodgers infielder, who was designated for assignment on December 1, just hours before MLB instituted a lockout, was claimed off waivers on Wednesday morning by the Oakland A’s.

Neuse appeared in 33 games for the Dodgers in 2021, including starts at second base, third base, and left field. He had 11 hits in 66 at-bats, including three home runs, hitting .169/.182/.323, one of a number of underwhelming bench options for the team last season.

While in Triple-A, Neuse hit .293/.352/.478 with 13 home runs and 13 doubles in 78 games for Oklahoma City, while starting games at all four infield positions plus left field and right field.

When the Dodgers finalized their four-year, $60 million contract with Chris Taylor on December 1, they designated Neuse for assignment, removing him from the 40-man roster. Normally that’s followed by being placed on waivers, but with the lockout coming only a few hours after Taylor’s signing, Neuse’s status, like hundreds of players in the majors, was frozen.

The Dodgers acquired Neuse from the A’s in February 2021 along with pitcher Gus Varland for pitcher Adam Kolarek and outfielder Cody Thomas. Neuse turned 27 in December. Now, Neuse returns to Oakland, where he spent 2½ years, and played in 25 games in the majors for the A’s in 2019.