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LAS VEGAS, NV (MPG) - The Athletics have acquired minor league right-handed pitcher A.J. Causey from the Kansas City Royals for right-handed pitcher Mitch Spence, the club announced Feb. 12. Spence was designated for assignment on Tuesday Feb. 10.

Causey was selected by Kansas City in the fifth round of the 2024 First-Year Player Draft out of the University of Tennessee and made his professional debut in 2025.  He combined for an 11-5 record, nine saves and a 1.72 ERA in 48 relief appearances with High-A Quad Cities and Double-A Northwest Arkansas. The 23-year-old right-hander held the opposition to a .176 batting average and did not allow a home run in 40.1 innings. Causey struck out 44 and walked 11 and will join the A’s camp as a non-roster invitee.

Spence spent the majority of last season with the A’s, where he was 3-6 with a save, a 5.10 ERA and a .816 opponents OPS in 32 games, including eight starts. He also had a two-month stay at Las Vegas, where he went 0-1 with a 6.21 ERA in eight games, including seven starts. A 2023 Rule-5 Draft selection, Spence made his Major League debut with the A’s in 2024 and went 11-16 with a 4.77 ERA in 67 games, 32 starts, in two seasons.