A's Place Ross Stripling on IL, Recall Two Relievers

Jason Burke | May 25, 2024

May 24, 2024; Oakland, California, USA; Oakland Athletics starting pitcher Ross Stripling (36) delivers a pitch against the Houston Astros during the first inning at Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum. Mandatory Credit: D. Ross Cameron-USA TODAY Sports / D. Ross Cameron-USA TODAY Sports

After three perfect innings to begin Friday night's game against the Houston Astros, Oakland A's starter Ross Stripling ran into a heap of trouble in the fourth, allowing six runs on eight hits while recording just two more outs before leaving the game. With that outing, his ERA on the season now sits at 5.82.

On Saturday, Stripling was placed on the IL by Oakland with a strained right elbow, and he is now the fourth member of the A's Opening Day starting rotation to land on the IL, joining Joe Boyle, Paul Blackburn, and Alex Wood. JP Sears is the last man standing, and he fired six innings on Saturday, allowing just one unearned run on two hits and a walk.

In addition to Stripling's IL stint, the A's also designated reliever Brandon Bielak for assignment on Saturday morning. The 28-year-old was acquired by the A's, from Houston, on May 16. He held a 3.18 ERA across 5 2/3 innings in three appearances with the team. While his stat line makes it seem like he'd improved since his time with the Astros, he was giving up hits at a rate of 14.3 per nine. His removal from the 40-man roster cleared the way for a new arrival.

That arrival is left-hander Jack O'Loughlin, whom the A's signed as a minor-league free agent in November. He was originally signed by the Detroit Tigers in 2016, and had been in the organization until last winter. This season with Las Vegas, O'Loughlin has made ten appearances (eight starts) and racked up 38 2/3 innings to the tune of a 5.12 ERA. He has also given up 46 hits in that span, but he has the ability to strike guys out as well, collecting 44 punch-outs along the way. He gives the A's a fourth left-handed option in the bullpen, joining Scott Alexander, T.J. McFarland, and Kyle Muller. When he pitches for the A's, it will be his MLB debut.

The final move that was made today was the recalling of right-hander Tyler Ferguson, who, at 30 years old, made his MLB debut on May 7 with Oakland. In his first five outings the righty was solid, tallying 5 1/3 scoreless frames while allowing just two hits, four walks, and striking out seven. In his final appearance before being sent down, he gave up four runs to the Royals. Ferguson was originally optioned to make room for a returning Scott Alexander earlier this week.

With the injury to Stripling, there is now a question over who will join the A's rotation. Both Luis Medina and Joe Boyle have started games on their rehab assignments with Vegas this week, but the plan is for Medina to get at least one more start, getting him up to 75 pitches before he returns. Boyle started the game on Thursday night for the Aviators and was unable to record an out while giving up three hits and two walks which led to four runs crossing the plate. He threw 26 pitches, 13 for strikes.

A's manager Mark Kotsay said ahead of Friday's game that he was dealing with a little stiffness in his back, but would continue going through his routine to see how he felt before determining when he would step on the mound next.

With those two options seemingly crossed off, Osvaldo Bido could get a chance at the rotation. Bido and Hogan Harris are the only two pitchers on the 40-man that have big-league experience, and the other two--Royber Salinas and Brady Basso--have struggled in their brief stints in Triple-A. With the off-day on Monday, the A's won't need a starter until Thursday's game in Tampa.