Zachary Jackson: Everything you need to know

The Athletics outrighted Jackson to Triple-A Las Vegas on Tuesday after he cleared waivers. Jackson lost his spot on Oakland's 40-man roster Saturday, when the Athletics needed to clear room for right-hander Alex Speas after acquiring him from the White Sox. Though he notched 28 holds and four saves for Oakland over the past two seasons, Jackson struggled mightily in spring training to earn a demotion to Triple-A to begin the season. The Athletics elected to designate him for assignment after Jackson failed to show much improvement at Las Vegas; he was touched up for one earned run on two hits and five walks over two innings through his first two appearances in the Pacific Coast League.

Jackson was designated for assignment by the Athletics on Sunday. It's been a precipitous drop for Jackson in a relatively short period of time, as he recorded 28 holds and four saves while posting a a 2.86 ERA over 73 games for Oakland over the 2022 and 2023 seasons. The right-hander's fortunes began to turn for the worse this spring when he produced a 6.48 ERA in nine Cactus League outings, and they didn't get any better (18.00 ERA, 5.00 WHIP) over three appearances with Triple-A Las Vegas early this minor-league season. Jackson's spot on the 40-man roster was taken up by Alex Speas, who was acquired from the White Sox on Saturday for cash considerations.

The Athletics optioned Jackson to Triple-A Las Vegas on Wednesday. Jackson missed out on a bullpen spot after allowing seven runs (six earned) over 8.1 innings this spring. The 29-year-old could still eventually fill a leverage role in an unsettled Oakland bullpen.