Former Dodgers Left-Hander Headed for Season-Ending Surgery

Maren Angus-Coombs | Jul 27, 2024

Gary A. Vasquez-USA TODAY Sports

The 2024 season is over for former Los Angeles Dodgers starting pitcher Alex Wood. Oakland Athletics manager Mark Kotsay revealed the news on Thursday that the veteran lefty is headed for a shoulder procedure to address rotator cuff tendinitis.

The news was also confirmed via the MLB.com injury tracker.

Wood's news is disappointing. He signed an $8.5 million free-agent deal in February and the A's were hopeful that he would have a solid rebound season. He also could have been a midseason trade chip if healthy.

More A's news per manager Mark Kotsay.

-Probables for this weekend are Paul Blackburn on Friday, Mitch Spence on Saturday and Hogan Harris on Sunday.

-Luis Medina will have season-ending Tommy John surgery.

-Alex Wood will have a season-ending shoulder procedure.

— Brent Maguire (@bmags94) July 26, 2024

Instead, Wood only pitched nine times during the A's final season in Oakland, recording a 5.26 ERA over 39.1 innings. He landed on the injured list in mid-May was was transferred to the 60-day IL on June 9.

Wood has struggled over the past few seasons. He hasn't delivered a sub-4.00 ERA since 2021 with the San Francisco Giants, and returns to the free agent market at the start of the offseason.

It's possible that he only fields minor league offers heading into spring training next season because of his limited playing time this season and subpar performance over the years.

The southpaw's best season came with the Dodgers in 2017 when he won a career-high 16 games. He only lost three and delivered with a superb 2.72 ERA. He spent parts of five seasons with the Dodgers, going 31-21.