Butler has sights set on All-Star Game in hometown

This story was excerpted from Martín Gallegos’ A’s Beat newsletter. To read the full newsletter, click here. And subscribe to get it regularly in your inbox.

SACRAMENTO -- Every morning at 10 a.m., a reminder flashes across Athletics right fielder Lawrence Butler’s phone screen.

The message reads: 2025 ASG in ATL.

That daily alarm makes Butler’s ambitions for the upcoming season clear as day. Coming off a breakout 2024 campaign, the 24-year-old slugger aims to become an All-Star for the first time in his career.

“It’s on my phone,” Butler told MLB.com last week at the Kimpton Sawyer Hotel in Sacramento. “Every day, 10 o’clock, All-Star Game, ATL. No matter what, I’m trying to get there.”

As if any extra motivation was needed, the 2025 MLB All-Star Game presented by Mastercard will be taking place at Truist Park in Atlanta, which is only a short drive from home for Butler, a southwest Atlanta native.

Butler, a die-hard Braves fan growing up who even has a tattoo of the Braves’ ‘A’ logo, has dreamed of his hometown debut since the day he was drafted by the A’s in 2018 out of Westlake High School in Atlanta.

As soon as the 2024 regular-season schedule was released, Butler immediately circled May 31-June 2 on the calendar. It was a three-game series between the A’s and Braves at Truist Park, setting up his first game in Atlanta as a big leaguer.

Unfortunately, things did not work out as planned. Butler was optioned to Triple-A Las Vegas on May 14 after a slow start to the season and did not return until June 18, missing the road trip to Atlanta.

The next time the A’s visit Atlanta will be in 2026, so the quicker route for Butler to achieve his dream would be to make the Midsummer Classic this season.

“An All-Star Game,” Butler said. “That’ll be a dope first game back home.”

The last A’s outfielder to make the All-Star Game was Yoenis Céspedes in 2014. Could Butler be the next in line? His performance over the second half of last season certainly set high expectations for ‘25. Adjusting his approach following the early-season demotion to Las Vegas, Butler slashed .302/.346/.597 (.943 OPS) over his final 73 games with 20 home runs, 18 doubles, two triples, 49 RBIs and 14 stolen bases.

Continuing his offseason training out at “The Hill” in Georgia, a facility set up on a large farm owned by former Braves outfielder Marquis Grissom, Butler is hard at work looking to fine-tune his game to reach the level necessary to turn his All-Star goal into a reality.

“Really just looking to take the momentum from the second half into the new year with me,” Butler said. “I’ve been focusing on every aspect of my game. I don’t really like to single out one. I’m just trying to get better in every aspect of my game to take my career to the next level. That’s been my focus this offseason.”