'Surreal' becomes real for Alvarez after A's callup

OAKLAND -- Armando Alvarez has always been so close to this moment.

As a prospect in the Yankees’ farm system, Alvarez found himself on the precipice of the big leagues with a promotion to Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre in 2019. He was 24 at the time and sensed his chance to head to the Bronx and don the classic pinstripes was coming.

It took five more years and a couple of different organizations later, but Alvarez finally made it. The 29-year-old infielder was called up by the A’s ahead of Saturday's 10-2 loss to the Twins at the Coliseum for his Major League debut. He replaced third baseman Abraham Toro, who was placed on the 10-day injured list with a strained right hamstring.

Alvarez entered the game in the top of the eighth inning as one of a few defensive changes by the A's. He fielded a grounder for a 5-3 putout and grounded out in his first Major League at-bat against Twins starter Bailey Ober, who tossed a complete game on 89 pitches.

"I’m just grateful and humble for the opportunity,” Alvarez said. “You play every day hoping this day would come. I’m just very grateful.”

It has been a long journey for Alvarez. Despite continued success at Triple-A with New York, the call never came. Electing free agency as a Minor Leaguer in November 2022, he signed a Minor League contract with the Giants and slashed .308/.379/.581 with 18 homers, 15 doubles and 56 RBIs in 74 games with Triple-A Sacramento. Still, there was no big league opportunity.

Once again a free agent this offseason, Alvarez signed a Minor League deal with an invitation to A’s Spring Training. Impressing in the Cactus League by hitting .379 (11-for-29) with a homer and a double in 17 games, he was assigned to Triple-A Las Vegas and entered his eighth Minor League season on Oakland’s big league radar.

Playing his 700th career Minor League game on Friday night in Tacoma, Wash., Alvarez received the news he’d been dreaming of since he was a 3-year-old kid playing tee-ball in Miami. The moment came just before the start of the top of the eighth inning. Alvarez was set to bat second in the frame and was strapping on his leg guard while heading to the on-deck circle when Las Vegas manager Fran Riordan pulled him back for a pinch-hitter.

Alvarez was 2-for-3 with a double on the night and a left-handed pitcher was on the mound, so he found the substitution a bit puzzling. Once he returned to the Aviators dugout, he found out why.

"The manager said, ‘Hey, you’re not hitting,’” Alvarez recalled. “I was confused. ... Then he goes, ‘No, you’re going to the big leagues.’ I was like, ‘That works, too.’"

Alvarez immediately went inside the visiting clubhouse at Cheney Stadium and frantically tried calling his parents, who were three hours ahead in Miami, where it was about 1 a.m. at the time. It took about 10 minutes before his mother, Carrie, finally answered.

"She thought I was kidding,” Alvarez said. “So did my dad. They were just so excited and so happy. … They couldn’t go back to sleep. It was just a surreal moment to be able to share that with them.”

Alvarez slept about three hours before boarding a 7 a.m. Saturday flight from Seattle to Oakland, arriving to the Coliseum less than two hours before first pitch. He was reunited with several former Yankees Minor League teammates who now play for the A’s, including JP Sears, who was roughed up in his shortest Major League start by allowing eight runs on nine hits and hit three batters in 1 1/3 innings.

“I told him this morning that I was just thinking about him,” Sears said. “He’s been swinging the bat well in Triple-A. He’s an ultra competitor and a great teammate. I’m super happy for him.”

Alvarez earned his first Major League opportunity by hitting .311 with a .929 OPS, eight home runs, nine doubles and 33 RBIs in 47 games with Las Vegas. It required an incredible amount of resilience, but it’s a moment Alvarez never doubted would come his way.

"I got to Triple-A and I felt like I got better every day, regardless of how old I was or what day it was,” Alvarez said. “If I was in Triple-A for five years, I was going to somehow get a little bit better each day. … I knew, me believing in myself, I would never quit on myself. Never."