Luis Medina Injury Opens Door for Joe Boyle in A's Rotation

A's Luis Medina removed from game after suffering a right knee sprain

Luis Medina has been in competition for a spot in the Oakland A's starting rotation this spring, but after leaving the game with what the team is calling a right knee sprain, his status for Opening Day is now uncertain. 

We don't currently know the severity of the injury, with manager Mark Kotsay saying after Monday's game that he was going to be evaluated, but even the best-case scenario is likely a one week absence. 

Medina had more or less cruised through 1 1/3 innings against the Reds' regulars on Monday afternoon in Goodyear before coming out. He started the bottom of the first with a walk to TJ Friedl, who stole second as Medina struck out Elly De La Cruz, and then swiped third. Friedl came around to score on a groundout. The A's righty struck out Jake Fraley to end the inning, then started the second with a strikeout of Jeimer Candelario before leaving the contest. 

He finished the outing with four outs recorded, three via strikeout, and zero hits allowed. It was the one walk and Friedl's speed that led to the run. 

In his first outing of the spring against the Giants, Medina also didn't allow and hits across his two innings of work. He walked one and struck out three in that appearance, too. He'd been cruising this spring, and now his status is a question mark. 

His main competition in the battle for the fifth starter has been fellow 24-year-old righty Joe Boyle, who has allowed just one earned run in 5 1/3 innings, struck out five, and has yet to allow a walk. 

We would have given Medina the slight nod in this battle only because he is out of options heading into the 2024 campaign, meaning he has to be on Oakland's 26-man roster or is subject to waivers. If he were to begin the year on the IL, the A's could send him on a rehab assignment in the minors for a maximum of 30 days, which could be enough time for a spot to open up in the rotation. Either that, or Medina could be moved over to the bullpen as a long reliever. 

The tricky part with moving Medina to the bullpen would be building him back up to join the rotation if needed this season. Since he is out of options, they couldn't have him get stretched out in Triple-A ahead of time, so maybe the team would give him some two or three inning outings, and then a tandem start where he can get up to four frames under his belt before joining the rotation. 

We'll see what the medical report says this morning, but as of right now, it would appear as though Boyle has the inside track to a spot in the rotation.