Lawrence Evan Butler (born July 10, 2000) is an American professional baseball outfielder for the

Oakland Athletics The Oakland Athletics (often referred to as the A's) are an American professional baseball team based in Oakland, California. The Athletics compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) West division. The te ...

of Major League Baseball (MLB). He made his MLB debut in 2023.

Career

Butler was born in Burlington, New Jersey. He attended Westlake High School in Atlanta, Georgia, and played in a league and team founded by Marquis Grissom, alongside Michael Harris II. Butler was drafted by the

in the sixth round, with the 173rd overall selection, of the

2018 Major League Baseball Draft The 2018 Major League Baseball (MLB) First-Year Player Draft began on June 4, 2018. The draft assigned amateur baseball players to MLB teams. The draft order was determined based on the reverse order of the 2017 MLB season final standings. In a ...

. Butler made his professional debut that year with the rookie–level Arizona League Athletics, hitting .226 in 46 games. Butler spent the 2019 season with the Low–A Vermont Lake Monsters. He played in 55 games for the team, struggling to a .177/.276/.287 with 4 home runs and 22 RBI. Butler did not play in a game in 2020 due to the cancellation of the Minor League Baseball season because of the COVID-19 pandemic. He returned to action in 2021, playing for the Single–A

Stockton Ports The Stockton Ports are a Minor League Baseball team of the California League and the Single-A affiliate of the Oakland Athletics. They are located in Stockton, California, and are named for the city's seaport. The team plays its home games at Ba ...

and High–A Lansing Lugnuts. In 102 games between the two teams, he batted .273/.367/.504 with career–highs in home runs (19), RBI (75), and stolen bases (29). In 2022, Butler spent the year with Lansing, hitting .270/.357/.468 with 11 home runs, 41 RBI, and 13 stolen bases. On November 15, 2022, the Athletics added Butler to their

40-man roster A Major League Baseball roster is a list of players who are allowed, by league agreement, to play for a Major League Baseball (MLB) team. Each MLB team maintains two rosters: an active roster of players eligible to participate in an MLB game, and ...

to protect him from the Rule 5 draft. Butler was optioned to the Double-A Midland RockHounds to begin the 2023 season. In 89 games split between Midland and the Triple–A Las Vegas Aviators, he batted a cumulative .284/.350/.475 with 15 home runs, 70 RBI, and 21 stolen bases. On August 11, 2023, Butler was promoted to the major leagues for the first time.

References

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Butler, Lawrence 2000 births Living people People from Burlington, New Jersey Baseball players from Burlington County, New Jersey Major League Baseball outfielders Oakland Athletics players Arizona League Athletics players Vermont Lake Monsters players Stockton Ports players Lansing Lugnuts players Arizona Complex League Athletics players Mesa Solar Sox players Midland RockHounds players Las Vegas Aviators players African-American baseball players