After seeing Dr. Freehill, the Athletics have decided to shut down rookie left-hander Gage Jump with just a couple of starts left in the regular season due to what the A's are calling rotator cuff tendonitis/fatigue and impingement. Jump will focus on rebuilding strength for a normal offseason throwing program.

As Athletics Roundtable mentioned on Sunday, Jump will be in Arizona this offseason, so he'll be able to ramp up as needed throughout the winter months, and when the expected lockout ends — hopefully early in 2027 — he'll be able to start building up for the regular season. 

A's manager Mark Kotsay mentioned that if the team had been in a hunt for the postseason, perhaps they would have taken a little longer to really assess where Jump is, but given where they are in the standings and the season, they made the call to shut him down. 

With Jump landing on the IL, the A's have recalled left-hander Joe Rock from Triple-A Las Vegas for his team debut. He was claimed off waivers by the A's from the Chicago White Sox on August 16, and holds an 0.87 ERA across 10 ⅓ innings with the Aviators. In that span, he has walked six and struck out 13. 

Kotsay mentioned that Rock's role right now will be to get lefties out. 

Across the entire season in the minor leagues, spanning stints with the Tampa Bay Rays, White Sox, and A's, Rock's numbers against right-handers have been arguably better.

vs. LHB: 19 IP, .250 BAA, 2.53 WHIP, 29 BB, 21 K

vs. RHB: 33 ⅓ IP, .258 BAA, 1.56 WHIP, 19 BB, 52 K

Just at a glance, his walk rate is over one per inning against left-handers, while his strikeout rate has been astronomical. It'll be interesting to see how his stuff plays against both sides now that he's back in the big leagues with a new club.

Joshua Kuroda-Grauer (JKG) has been progressing through baseball activities for weeks after suffering a ruptured testicle back in July. On Monday, the A's announced that the infielder will be going out on a rehab assignment with Triple-A Las Vegas beginning on Wednesday. 

Kotsay mentioned that this is a really encouraging sign for JKG and will propel him into the offseason confident that everything is okay and that he can move forward with his training processes in preparation for 2027. 

Kuroda-Grauer ended up hitting .417 in his 16 big-league games, spending time at third base, second base, and shortstop. Going into next year, he could either serve the club as a utility player or a regular infielder at either second or third, with Zack Gelof taking over the other spot. 

JKG's emergence in his brief time with the club seemed to provide the A's with more options to consider on the roster heading into a pivotal 2027 season.