The A’s announced that infielder Alika Williams was acquired in a trade with the Pirates in exchange for minor league righty Kyle Robinson. Infielder Michael Stefanic was designated for assignment to clear space for Williams on the Athletics’ 26-man and 40-man rosters, as the team officially selected Williams’ contract to the active roster.
Selected 37th overall by the Rays in the 2020 draft, Williams came to Pittsburgh in the June 2023 trade that brought Robert Stephenson to Tampa. Williams made his MLB debut in a Pirates uniform later that year, and went onto hit .202/.257/.271 over 208 plate appearances for the Buccos over the 2023-24 seasons. Pittsburgh designated Williams for assignment during the 2024-25 offseason and then outrighted him to Triple-A, where Williams hit an uninspiring .268/.329/.393 over 391 PA for Indianapolis during the 2025 campaign.
This year, Williams has hit .317/.385/.467 over 135 Triple-A plate appearances, representing one of the best offensive stretches of his pro career. Despite this hot bat, the Pirates apparently didn’t want to select Williams’ contract back to the 26-man roster just to be a bench guy, as Konnor Griffin and Brandon Lowe are the starting middle infielders, and Nick Gonzales and Jared Triolo are being used at third base.
There’s more of an opportunity for Williams in Sacramento, as both Jacob Wilson and Max Muncy are on the Athletics’ 10-day injured list. Williams could see time at shortstop when Darell Hernaiz isn’t at the position, and some second base at-bats could become available in Jeff McNeil‘s place when a left-hander is on the mound.
Stefanic signed a minor league deal with the A’s last winter, and his contract was selected in the wake of Wilson’s IL placement earlier this week. After all of two games in an Athletics uniform, Stefanic’s tenure with the club may already be over, if he is claimed away on waivers or if he elects free agency over an outright assignment if he clears waivers. Because Stefanic has been outrighted in the past, he now has the ability to reject any future outrights in favor of free agency, though he could opt to stay with the A’s if he feels he’ll get more big league opportunities down the road.
Though Stefanic has hit only .231/.315/.269 over 294 career PA with the Angels, Blue Jays, and Athletics, he had some posted some big numbers at Triple-A in the past. Like Williams, Stefanic also has a wealth of experience at shortstop, second base, and third base, plus Stefanic has a handful of games as a first baseman and at both corner outfield positions.
Robinson is a 22-year-old righty who was an 11th-round pick for the A’s in the 2024 draft. The Texas Tech product pitched at both the high-A and Double-A levels last season, but returned to high-A Lansing this year to post a 3.62 ERA, 16.7% strikeout rate, and 11.4% walk rate across 27 1/3 innings. Robinson has started 27 of his 34 games as a professional, but he’ll need both miss more bats or improve his control to remain as any kind of a viable starter candidate.