Veteran utility player Abraham Toro continued to solidify his spot on the A’s Opening Day roster Sunday, blasting a three-run home run and driving in four to key Oakland’s 6-3 spring training win over Kansas City in Mesa, Ariz.
Toro, a switch-hitting 27-year-old acquired in a minor league deal with Milwaukee in November, is now batting .400 through 25 at-bats and is second on the A’s with seven RBIs. His third-inning home run was his first of the spring and made a winner out of starter Paul Blackburn.
Blackburn, who is in competition with left-hander JP Sears to start the season opener against Cleveland on March 28, surrendered three runs in his four innings for Oakland (8-8).
Rookie Lawrence Butler also kept contributing offensively as he scored twice and went 2-for-2 to boost his average to .423, keeping him tied with Miguel Andujar for the team lead.
Earlier in the day, the A’s reduced their roster by 12 while sending right-hander Joey Estes and infielder Jordan Diaz, both strong roster contenders, to Triple-A Las Vegas.
