A's Remove Ross Stripling From Rotation

Jason Burke | Aug 14, 2024

Apr 19, 2024; Cleveland, Ohio, USA; Oakland Athletics starting pitcher Joe Boyle (35) throws a pitch during the first inning against the Cleveland Guardians at Progressive Field. Mandatory Credit: Ken Blaze-USA TODAY Sports / Ken Blaze-USA TODAY Sports

With Joe Boyle's arrival back in Oakland's rotation on Tuesday night in New York, the Oakland A's have reportedly moved veteran Ross Stripling to the bullpen, effectively taking the spot of recently DFA'd Kyle Muller as the long relief option.

A's manager Mark Kotsay told Martín Gallegos of MLB.com of the move, "As an organization right now, we’re looking at these young starters as potential pieces for the future. For Ross to accept that role and go down there as a pro, I respect what he’s doing and what he’s done."

We spoke with Stripling a bit after his last start at the Coliseum against the White Sox, and he was hopeful to remain in the rotation. With his 2-11 record and 5.72 ERA through 14 starts, a move to the bullpen may be what's best for the team as they begin to stack up more wins with an eye on the future.

Boyle returned to the rotation last night and looked solid through the first four innings, collecting six strikeouts while scattering four hits and a walk and allowing one run. As was the case in his initial stint with the A's to begin the year, the wheels eventually came off for Boyle in the fifth inning. He started the inning by giving up a hit to Francisco Lindor, throwing a wild pitch to advance him to second, walking Brandon Nimmo, and giving up a double to Jesse Winker. A Pete Alonso single made it 7-4, and Boyle walked Mark Vientos, which ended his night.

Kotsay was asked about Boyle's performance after the game and if you've listened to his post-game comments, he has three levels of performance for starting pitchers. The first is "great!" The second is "good" and the third is "okay." He deemed Boyle's performance the latter.

"The command wasn't great. Sometimes young pitchers when they go back out for that fifth inning with that type of lead may lack the concentration [needed]. Something to learn from. Overall, the mistakes were hit pretty well. For a first outing back up after being down in the minor leagues, I thought he did okay."

The trick for Boyle being able to stick in the rotation will be harnessing his pitches. The A's could be looking at giving him the rest of the season in the rotation as an audition before heading into the offseason with enough of a sample size to determine if he's better suited to help this team as a member of the bullpen moving forward. With Boyle's tendency to lose command of his pitches so suddenly, he hasn't been a reliable source of innings all year, even by today's standards of getting through five.

He has made eight starts this season, and have completed five in half of those. In the other four starts, he has completed four, one, three, and 2 2/3 innings, which really puts a strain on the bullpen. The A's have been quick to move off guys that don't throw strikes consistently the past couple of seasons, but Boyle's stuff is so electric that they're likely to give him every possible opportunity to stick in the starting five.

One of the guys that could play a role in helping Boyle stick in the rotation, at least in terms of the mental approach to the game, is Stripling, a veteran pitcher that has enjoyed his role as a leader in the A's clubhouse.