Set to finish out suspension, A’s CF Laureano eager to play
By THERESA SMITH
Associated Press
MESA, Ariz. (AP) — Oakland Athletics outfielders Ramón Laureano and Christian Pache met in the offseason in their hometown of Santo Domingo in the Dominican Republic. They trained together, unexpectedly became teammates and are now developing a mentor-mentee relationship. The 23-year-old Pache was acquired this week from Atlanta in a prospect-filled package for star first baseman Matt Olson. Laureano started in center field in the Cactus League opener. He’s allowed to play in exhibition games amid his 80-game suspension for testing positive for a banned drug in 2021. Laureano will miss the first month of the regular season while completing his penalty.