A's Paul Blackburn Hits IL, Ken Waldichuk Needs Surgery

Jason Burke | May 14, 2024

May 8, 2024; Seattle, Washington, USA; Oakland Athletics starter Paul Blackburn (58) delivers a / Stephen Brashear-USA TODAY Sports

Monday provided a cavalcade of injury news, specifically in regards to the Oakland A's starting rotation. After making it through the first month of the season with the same 13 pitchers on staff, the group for Oakland is about to have a lot of new faces.

The team announced on Monday that right-hander Paul Blackburn has been placed on the IL with a stress reaction in his right foot, and that he will be in a walking boot for at least the next two weeks. Manager Mark Kotsay told reporters before Monday's game that they don't know exactly when it happened, but that he's been pitching with the injury since the spring. After Saturday's outing, the righty felt it a more than usual, and the next day the pain hadn't subsided. To take his place on the active roster, the A's called up lefty reliever Easton Lucas.

With Blackburn on the IL, the A's will be calling up Aaron Brooks to make a start on Wednesday in Houston. Brooks, 34, is on his third stint with the Oakland A's. He was originally traded to the team from Kansas City in 2015's Ben Zobrist deal, and then was re-acquired from the Milwaukee Brewers in 2018 for cash. This time around he signed with the A's as a minor league free agent and holds a 4.57 ERA with Las Vegas through 43 1/3 innings.

In addition to Blackburn's injury, Kotsay also told reporters that left-hander Alex Wood was headed back to Oakland to have his shoulder examined by team doctors. His status for this weekend in Kansas City is still unknown.

The A's also received some unfortunate news from Ken Waldichuk's meeting with Dr. Neal ElAttrache on Monday. He will be undergoing surgery on Wednesday, and once that is complete, the team will have a further update on his status. There is a good chance that this surgery will end his 2024 season.

One positive that came out of this news dump was that Luis Medina is scheduled to throw 45 pitches in a rehab game in Arizona on Wednesday. He has yet to pitch for Oakland this season while dealing with a sprained knee.

Another positive from Monday is that Zack Gelof is in Houston and there is a chance that he is activated during this series. Monday was a workout day for the second baseman with the minor leagues having the day off.