The Athletics announced that left-hander Jacob Lopez has been placed on the 15-day injured list due to a flexor strain in his left elbow, a move that was reported yesterday. Right-hander Mason Barnett has been selected in a corresponding move. The 40-man roster had a vacancy due to Luis Urías being designated for assignment earlier this week.
Barnett, 24, gets the call to the big leagues for the first time. A third-round pick of the Royals in 2022, he was one of three players who came to the A’s as part of last year’s deadline deal which sent Lucas Erceg to Kansas City.
The A’s have given Barnett his first taste of the Triple-A level this year, though the results haven’t been amazing. He has tossed 119 innings over 23 starts and two long relief appearances with a 6.13 earned run average. Part of that might be the hitter-friendly environment of the Pacific Coast League, as his 15.6% home run to fly ball rate is far higher than any other stop in his career. His 22.8% strikeout rate is close to average, though his 11.9% walk rate is a few ticks north of par.
Despite the uninspiring numbers, Baseball America still lists him as the #9 prospect in the system while MLB Pipeline has him in the #11 slot. Both outlets give him a shot at becoming a mid-rotation starter at some point, highlighting his pitch mix. His four-seamer sits in the mid-90s and he also throws a sweeper, curveball and changeup. He was going to be eligible for the Rule 5 draft this winter and would need a 40-man spot to be protected, so the A’s are giving it to him now.
It’s unclear if the A’s plan on dropping Barnett right into the rotation or perhaps having him begin his career in a long relief role. The Lopez injury does open up a rotation job but the club is off on Thursday and doesn’t play more than six games in a row for the rest of the season. They could run with a four-man rotation of Jeffrey Springs, J.T. Ginn, Osvaldo Bido and Luis Morales along with occasional bullpen games. Guys like Barnett, Joey Estes and Eduarniel Núñez could take on bulk roles. The A’s could also recall arms such as Ken Waldichuk or Mitch Spence with rosters expanding in September.
Photo courtesy of Rick Scuteri, Imagn Images
He was great last year in AA. I don’t really care about the ERA because he’s a flyball pitcher in the PCL, but the increase in walks this year in concerning
Well he’s going from a Triple A stadium to another Triple A stadium. Not sure how much of a hitter-friendly park West Sacramento is.
It’s a lot less hitter friendly than most of the other PCL parks, but it’s still definitely hitter friendly
Go A’s whether Fisher owns the team or… Well it doesn’t matter lol 😂
Well this is the last pitching prospect I really wanted to see, bummer it because of a lot of injuries.
Aviators season ticket holder here. I was surprised that Barnett got the callup. I wouldn’t blame the PCL or Las Vegas Ballpark for Barnett’s poor ERA. It’s not just that his walk rate has gone up. It’s that “get ahead of the hitter” is a phrase that he has not yet heard, guessing from how he constantly nibbled at the plate and was constantly pitching from behind. When he did get ahead of a hitter, he didn’t attack, he got cute and hoped the batter would swing at a bad pitch. Maybe he just doesn’t have an out pitch and he knows it.