The A's May be Ready to Shake Up Their Rotation
Luis Medina struggled in his latest outing, going just three innings against the Los Angeles Angels, allowing four runs on four hits and two walks. The kicker was that he used 79 pitches to get through those three frames due to a lack of command and an inability to repeat his delivery.
After the game, Oakland A's manager Mark Kotsay said that Medina had success last season in his role coming out of the bullpen, and that a return to that role "could be something that we look at going forward."
Medina is out of minor-league options, so the A's have to keep him on the big-league roster or attempt to pass him through waivers, and there is a good chance he'd end up elsewhere if the A's choose the waiver route.
If the A's want to move Medina to the bullpen, it wouldn't have to be immediately. He is the scheduled starter for Sunday's finale in Arizona, and that timeframe could make things tricky. One option they could go with is Brady Basso, who has had two stints with the A's already this season in a bullpen role when the team needed innings. He's typically a starter, however, so they could use him for one game if needed.
The favored option would likely be to give left-hander Kyle Muller a shot in the rotation once he returns from the IL. Muller has been out of action since May 27 with left shoulder tendinitis. The 6-foot-7 southpaw began his rehab assignment on Tuesday in Triple-A Las Vegas, throwing ten pitches. Nine of them were fastballs.
The one issue here is that Muller would need a few more outings in Vegas to build up his pitch count before returning as a starting pitcher. Muller has served in a long-relief role for the club to begin this season. He could potentially get to as many as 40-50 pitches by the end of the week if he's used every other day and his shoulder responds well.
The issue from there would be getting him enough rest before a potential start, which would push the earliest date he'd be ready to assume Medina's presumed spot against the Baltimore Orioles on Saturday, July 6.
Muller was Oakland's Opening Day starter in 2023 after coming over from the Atlanta Braves in the Sean Murphy trade. He struggled to a 7.60 ERA (6.14 FIP) in 77 innings. This season out of the bullpen he has been much more effective, posting a 3.48 ERA (4.37 FIP with a five percent walk rate in 33 2/3 innings.
Other than Basso and Muller, the only other 40-man options for the A's would be Royber Salinas (also from the Murphy deal) and Joe Boyle. Salinas has loads of potential, but he just hasn't commanded the ball in the minors this year with walk rates of 15.8% in Double-A and 24.2% in limited Triple-A innings.
Boyle was placed on the IL in early May with a lower back strain and has since been activated and optioned to the minors. He's had both good and bad outings with Las Vegas, holding a 7.84 ERA in 10 1/3 innings. He has struck out 10 and walked 15. In his most recent outing, he went 2/3 of an inning and didn't allow a hit, but allowed three runs to score on five walks and a hit batter. In his last two starts combined he has totaled five innings pitched with nine walks. He's just not where the A's want him to be in order to call him back up.
If Oakland wanted to go with a non-roster candidate, Gunnar Hoglund, who is currently in Double-A Midland, has been tearing it up so far this season. He's posted a 3.20 ERA in 78 2/3 innings and has a 1.90 ERA in the month of June across four starts. The A's don't typically promote guys from Double-A, but there aren't a ton of options at the moment, either. Hoglund was the key piece of the Matt Chapman trade with the Toronto Blue Jays, and is the only part of the return still in the organization.
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JASON BURKE
Jason is the host of the Locked on A's podcast, and the managing editor of Inside the A's. He's a new father and can't wait to take his son to his first baseball game at the Coliseum.