In the span of one week, the A's replaced 60% of their starting rotation
Ahead of Tuesday's opener against the Chicago Cubs, the Athletics made a pair of expected moves, calling up Kade Morris for his MLB debut and Mason Barnett for the third time this season. They also optioned left-hander Jacob Lopez and veteran Michael Kelly, while moving Brooks Kriske to the 60-day IL.
This all stems from the injuries to the A's rotation last week, with Aaron Civale landing on the IL on Tuesday, making way for Gage Jump, and then Luis Severino leaving Friday's game after just one inning against the New York Yankees.
The A's also released an updated injury report on Tuesday, which said that Severino's MRI revealed a strain of the shoulder capsule and subscapularis muscle. He will be receiving a PRP injection on June 4 and will be rehabbing in Sacramento. Severino will be re-evaluated again in four to six weeks.
Impact on the A's rotation
Severino has been better this season, posting a 4.16 ERA across 12 starts. Even his home ERA of 5.33 is nearly a run lower than it was last season. The league average ERA for a starting pitcher is 4.14 this season, and given that he plays in a favorable environment for hitters, being league average overall is impressive.
His production, plus the fact that he will routinely eat between five and seven innings every fifth day, is why this injury in particular will be tough for the A's to navigate.
During the entire rebuild, the A's have been looking for pitchers that can provide length, and Severino has been one of those arms. Now they're relying on Gage Jump, who is one start into his MLB career; Kade Morris, who will get his first start this week; and Mason Barnett, who has 24 1/3 innings in the big leagues.
For this week's series against the Chicago Cubs, the A's will be rolling with Jump on Tuesday and Jeffrey Springs on Wednesday. Thursday's starter is still to be determined. That spot likely goes to Kade Morris, who last pitched on Wednesday, May 27. Barnett pitched the following day, May 28, while J.T. Ginn pitched on Saturday the 30th.
Morris lines up best for Thursday's start, though they could go with the more favorable matchup between Morris and Barnett and have the other open the series in Houston on Friday.
The A's are looking at internal options first, and will be assessing them on a start-to-start basis. In the coming weeks, they will have to make a determination if these are the pieces they feel comfortable moving forward with, or whether an outside addition will be necessary.
If one of the three new starters struggles in the near term, expect the A's to make an addition either via trade or the waiver wire. The new additions will be fighting not only to provide meaningful innings that keep the A's afloat, but also to secure a spot on the 26-man roster later in the season.
Every opportunity is an audition.
Injury Updates
RHP Aaron Civale (15-day IL): Right Shoulder tendonitis
- Has started a throwing progression
- No timetable for return
OF Denzel Clarke (60-day IL): Left Hamstring strain
- Is rehabbing in Sacramento
- No baseball activities at this time
RHP Gunnar Hoglund (60-day IL): Lumbar strain/left hip impingement
- Underwent successful surgery on his left hip on May 19 in Vail, Colorado
- Out for the remainder of the 2026 season
RHP Brooks Kriske (60-day IL): Right shoulder impingement
- Moved to the 60-day injured list today
- Posterior capsule sprain and internal impingement
- Received an ultrasound-guided cortisone injection on May 19
- No timetable for return
INF Max Muncy (10-day IL): Left hand fifth metacarpal fracture
- Continuing his rehab assignment
- Scheduled to play 7 innings tonight with Triple-A Las Vegas
INF Jacob Wilson (10-day IL): Left shoulder subluxation
- Progressing with full baseball activities
- Will potentially make a rehab assignment at the end of this week
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