Alex Wood Undergoes Surgery

Jason Burke | Jul 26, 2024

Apr 30, 2024; Oakland, California, USA; Oakland Athletics pitcher Alex Wood (57) delivers a pitch against the Pittsburgh Pirates during the first inning at Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum. Mandatory Credit: Neville E. Guard-USA TODAY Sports / Neville E. Guard-USA TODAY Sports

Oakland A's starter Alex Wood is set to miss the rest of the 2024 season after undergoing surgery on Friday. From the team: "Alex Wood had successful left shoulder arthroscopic surgery with Dr. Tim Kremchek at Beacon Orthopedics in Cincinnati, Ohio. Dr. Kremcheck performed an extensive labral debridement procedure and Alex will be out for the remainder of the season."

Wood had spent three seasons with the San Francisco Giants before electing free agency, signing with the A's back in February. He started nine games for Oakland, holding a 5.26 ERA in 39 1/3 innings pitched, along with a 1.78 WHIP.

When the A's signed him for one year and $8.5 million, they were likely hoping that he would have a moderate bounce-back year, re-establishing himself as a starter, and turning into a trade chip. With the surgery, that is no longer an option for the club.

Still, he's providing value to the A's by being a role model for the younger or more inexperienced players in the clubhouse. Righty reliever Lucas Erceg spoke about how important both Wood and Ross Stripling have been in providing an example of how to go about your business, even with both of them on the IL for the past couple of months. Stripling returned to the mound in Anaheim last night.

Wood's "stuff" wasn't where it had been in recent seasons, according to FanGraphs, who gave him an overall "Stuff+" rating of 71. As is the case with most advanced stats, 100 is the league average, so he was well below that mark. On the other hand, his location was just a touch below average at 99, and that should help him land with a team over the off-season.

Heck, the A's could be interested in a reunion. With Ken Waldichuk set to miss the beginning of the year in 2025, and Luis Medina potentially out the entirety of next season, the A's may need some options in the rotation, and they could bet on a Wood bounceback once more.