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A.J. Puk Undergoes Shoulder Surgery

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SEPT. 18: The A’s are optimistic Puk, who underwent a debridement and cleanout of his shoulder, will be ready for spring training next year, Slusser tweets. He could start throwing again in 10 weeks.

SEPT. 11: Athletics left-hander A.J. Puk will undergo shoulder surgery next week, Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle reports.

A healthy Puk is regarded as one of the majors’ premier pitching prospects, but he has had a hard time staying off the shelf in recent years. The 2016 first-round pick (No. 6 overall) underwent Tommy John surgery in 2018, forcing him to miss all of that season and most of last year, and hasn’t pitched at all in 2020 as a result of shoulder troubles. Now that he’s going back under the knife, his season’s obviously over.

It’s unclear whether this latest surgery will be serious enough to affect Puk’s availability for 2021, but the hope is that he’ll make it back to the mound in relatively short order and realize his potential. The 25-year-old was terrific during an 11 1/3-inning debut out of the A’s bullpen last year, when he averaged 97 mph on his fastball, gave up four earned runs on 10 hits and five walks, and amassed 13 strikeouts. In the wake of that showing, Puk seemed to be in line for a season-opening rotation spot heading into this year, but the shoulder issues he has battled since the spring prevented that from happening and stopped him from taking the mound at all in 2020.

A’s Place Chad Pinder On Injured List

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SEPTEMBER 15: Pinder’s done for the regular season with a Grade 1 hamstring strain, but the A’s are hopeful he’ll be ready for the playoffs, Slusser tweets.

SEPTEMBER 13: Pinder has been formally placed on the IL, the A’s announced. Orf’s contract was selected in a corresponding roster move.

SEPTEMBER 12: The Athletics made Chad Pinder a late scratch from the second game of tonight’s doubleheader with the Rangers, and Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle reports that Pinder is likely headed to the 10-day injured list due to a right hamstring strain.  A’s manager Bob Melvin confirmed the news to Slusser and other reporters this evening,

Losing a versatile bench piece like Pinder isn’t good in any circumstance, though losing him now is particularly inopportune for the A’s since Matt Chapman’s season was just ended by hip surgery.  The A’s are now without both an All-Star third baseman and their top backup infielder, who likely would have been in line for a lot of work at the hot corner with Chapman gone.

Rookie Vimael Machin started third base in tonight’s nightcap, and as Slusser notes, new acquisition Tommy La Stella also has quite a bit of third base experience.  Oakland picked up La Stella as a second base upgrade, but La Stella could now conceivably slide over to play third base every day, while Tony Kemp and Machin could handle second.  Noted prospect Sheldon Neuse could also be called up to play either second or third, and in the event of a second base platoon, the right-handed hitting Neuse is a more logical fit for a platoon with Kemp than Machin, as both Kemp and Machin are left-handed batters.

Eric Campbell and Nate Orf are the only other infielders with MLB experience at the Athletics’ alternate training site, and either would have to be added to the 40-man roster to be called up.  The A’s have an open 40-man spot already, plus Chapman or A.J. Puk (who will undergo shoulder surgery) could be moved to the 60-day IL to remove them from the 40-man and create more space for further additions, be they internal promotions or external signings.

Pinder took a .231/.286/.404 slash line into today’s play, with the utilityman also adding two homers over his 56 plate appearances.  Now in his fifth season in Oakland, Pinder has contributed near-league average offensive production (a career .244/.302/.431 slash line that has resulted in a 98 wRC+ and 98 OPS+) while also playing all over the diamond at every position except pitcher and catcher.

Stephen Piscotty Being Evaluated After Knee Sprain

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Injuries continue to mount for the Athletics, who could now face an absence for right fielder Stephen Piscotty. Per Shayna Rubin of the San Jose Mercury News, manager Bob Melvin revealed after Game 1 of yesterday’s doubleheader that Piscotty suffered a knee sprain when leaping in an attempt to rob a Jose Marmolejos home run. Piscotty will be further evaluated today, but Melvin added that Piscotty “had a pop” when he jumped. The 29-year-old Piscotty’s bat has gone cold this month, but he was one of Oakland’s best hitters in August, when he posted a .289/.323/.511 slash with five homers and five doubles on the month. His recent slump has dropped his season slash to .248/.289/.406, however. Mark Canha, who has already been spending time in right field, would likely be in line for more playing time should Piscotty require an IL stint.

Athletics Sign Jake Lamb

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Sept. 14: The Athletics announced that they’ve signed Lamb to a Major League contract after he’d become a free agent (i.e. cleared release waivers). Lefty A.J. Puk, who is slated to undergo shoulder surgery, was moved to the 45-day injured list to open a roster spot. Oakland also placed Frankie Montas on the paternity list and added righty James Kaprielian as the 29th man for today’s doubleheader.

Sept. 13: The A’s are set to sign corner infielder Jake Lamb, as first reported last night by Shayna Rubin of the San Jose Mercury News (Twitter link). The Diamondbacks designated Lamb for assignment on Thursday.

Jake Lamb | Stan Szeto-USA TODAY Sports

The left-handed hitter isn’t officially eligible to sign until Monday, Rubin adds; presumably, he’s still on release waivers, although it’s a lock he’ll clear them since any team that claims him would absorb what remains of Lamb’s prorated $5.515MM contract. By waiting until he clears waivers, the A’s will leave the Arizona organization on the hook for all but the prorated portion of the league minimum salary. As Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle points out (on Twitter), Lamb’s deal should be finalized before Tuesday’s deadline for players to be eligible for a new team’s playoff roster.

Lamb came up as a third baseman, but he saw an increasing amount of time at first base in his final couple seasons in the desert. The A’s have Matt Olson locked in at first, so Lamb’s path to playing time in Oakland is surely back at the hot corner. The A’s just found out yesterday that star third baseman Matt Chapman was lost for the season. With Chapman out, Rule V pick Vimael Machin and veteran utilityman Chad Pinder have taken most of the third base work over the past week. Neither Machin nor Pinder has hit well this season, though, so the A’s are adding another bat to the mix. Additionally, Pinder also seems ticketed for the injured list after getting scratched from yesterday’s lineup with a hamstring strain.

Of course, that Lamb was designated for assignment this week speaks to his own recent struggles. While he once looked like a building block for the Arizona organization, the 29-year-old has never returned to form after a 2018 shoulder injury that eventually required surgery. Over the past three seasons, Lamb has combined for a paltry .199/.307/.330 line (73 wRC+) in 514 plate appearances. He’s continued to draw his fair share of walks, but the power he showed from 2016-17, when he combined for 59 home runs, has evaporated. Lamb has just 12 long balls over the past three seasons. He was off to the worst start of his career before the Diamondbacks moved on, hitting .116/.240/.140 in 50 plate appearances.

Lamb will be a free agent at season’s end, so he’s a short-term stopgap for the A’s. Oakland has a 40-man roster spot available already, and further space can be cleared by placing Chapman on the 45-day injured list.

Matt Chapman To Undergo Season-Ending Hip Surgery

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5:41PM: Chapman has suffered a torn hip labrum, agent Scott Boras tells Susan Slusser.  Boras estimates Chapman will need 12-16 weeks of recovery time.

1:09PM: The Oakland A’s have placed Matt Chapman on the 10-day injured list, per Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle (via Twitter). Chapman has been seeking a second opinion on his right hip tendinitis, per Slusser. Chapman will now undergo surgery on the hip on Monday, which will sideline the star third baseman for the rest of the season, tweets Martín Gallegos of MLB.com.

The news obviously comes as a blow to the division-leading Athletics. Chapman’s defense at the hot corner is a rare commodity of itself – he’s a two-time Platinum Glove winner – but paired with the thump of a .503 career slugging percentage and that’s a special player. More specifically, that’s an MVP candidate: Chapman finished in the top-7 for MVP voting in each of his two full seasons.

This year, Chapman’s triple slash of .232/.276/.535 is down a little from his career standards, primarily in the on-base department. A 10.3 BB% for his career has dwindled to 5.3 BB% this season, paired some additional swing-and-miss as well (35.5 K%). In 37 games, he’s produced 1.1 rWAR, which extrapolated would be a 4.8 rWAR year over 162 games.

Taking a glass-half-full approach, Chapman should be able to return to form after the surgery, which will be performed on Monday by Dr. Marc Philippon, per Slusser. Teammate Mark Canha can give Chapman the rundown of expectations, as Canha underwent the same surgery, Slusser notes. Chad Pinder and Vimael Machín figure to get the majority of playing time at the hot corner the rest of the way.

Seth Brown has been recalled to take his roster spot, the team announced. Brown put up a surprising 26-game stint in 2019 in which he slashed .293/.361/.453 across 83 plate appearances. He’s without a hit in 4 at-bats so far this season.

A’s Daulton Jefferies To Debut Saturday

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Athletics right-hander Daulton Jefferies will make his major league debut with a start in Game 1 of a doubleheader against the Rangers on Saturday, Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle tweets. Jefferies is already on the A’s 40-man roster, so they won’t have to make a corresponding move in that regard.

Jefferies, a California native who attended UC Berkeley, is in his fifth season with the A’s organization. The club spent the 37th overall pick on Jefferies in 2016, but his progress was slowed the next season when he underwent Tommy John surgery. Jefferies rebounded in 2019, though, with 79 innings of 3.42 ERA ball and great strikeout and walk numbers (10.6 K/9 versus 1.0 BB/9) between the High-A and Double-A levels. The 25-year-old is now the A’s fourth-ranked prospect at Baseball America and their No. 6 farmhand at FanGraphs.

It remains to be seen whether Jefferies will last with the A’s beyond their Saturday doubleheader, but he may stick around with an impressive performance. The A’s are running away with the AL West, but their rotation certainly hasn’t offered elite production so far. Sean Manaea, Jesus Luzardo and Chris Bassitt have been their best starters in a rotation that hasn’t gotten a lot from Frankie Montas, Mike Fiers or trade deadline acquisition Mike Minor.

American League Injury Updates: Piscotty, Cobb, Keuchel, Pearson

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Here are the latest updates on a few injury situations from around the American League …

  • The Athletics will go a few days without full participation from outfielder Stephen Piscotty, as Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle covers on Twitter. (He’s pinch running as we speak.) Thankfully, it seems there’s reason to hope he’ll bounce back quickly after receiving a cortisone shot to his balky wrist. Piscotty has turned in a useful but hardly world-beating .264/.308/.438 batting line on the season.
  • Orioles righty Alex Cobb is days away from a return, with outfielder Austin Hays seemingly not far behind, as skipper Brandon Hyde tells reporters including Roch Kubatko of MASNsports.com (Twitter link). Cobb’s absence is as yet not fully explained; the quick turnaround could indicate that he had to step away owing to coronavirus protocols. Regardless, it’s good news that he’s expected to jump right back into active duty.
  • The White Sox don’t appear overly concerned with the health status of lefty Dallas Keuchel. He’ll plan to miss a start after taking an early exit from his last outing due to lower back issues, but that’s expected to be the extent of the missed time, as Daryl Van Schouwen of the Chicago Sun-Times and others mentioned on Twitter. Keuchel has thus far justified the South Siders’ faith in signing him, running up 53 1/3 innings of 2.19 ERA ball.
  • Exciting young Blue Jays hurler Nate Pearson is likely not going to build back to a full starter’s role, skipper Charlie Montoyo told reporters including MLB.com’s Gregor Chisholm (Twitter links). That’s sensible for a variety of reasons. For one thing, there really isn’t much time to ramp him up. For another, it’s not clear that’d be the right role after Pearson ran into some early MLB struggles. The firmly contending Toronto outfit can certainly make use of Pearson in a relief role while still getting him valuable work at the game’s highest level.

Latest On Matt Chapman

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  • Athletics third baseman Matt Chapman will resume baseball activities Wednesday, Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle tweets. It’s still unclear how much longer the AL West-leading A’s will go without Chapman, though. The 27-year-old has been out since he left their game Sunday with a right hip strain. Chapman batted a power-driven .232/.276/.535 with 10 home runs in 152 plate appearances before his injury.
  • The Angels placed infielder Franklin Barreto on the injured list Tuesday, Rhett Bollinger of MLB.com tweets. They recalled infielder Matt Thaiss in a corresponding move. Barreto, whom the Angels acquired from the division-rival Athletics for fellow infielder Tommy La Stella before the trade deadline, has struggled in his time in the majors and hasn’t provided any value to LA so far. Since joining the Angels, Barreto has collected two hits in 18 trips to the plate.

Athletics Shut Down A.J. Puk

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The Athletics have shut down rehabbing left-hander A.J. Puk because of ongoing shoulder problems, Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle reports.

Shoulder issues have prevented Puk from pitching at all this year, which he and the Athletics hoped would be his first full season in the majors. Unfortunately, health woes have stopped the hard-throwing Puk, a highly regarded hurler, from logging much action in the bigs so far. It looked possible that Puk would debut in 2018, but he was unable to do so that season as a result of Tommy John surgery.

Puk made it back from the procedure last year to throw his first 11 1/3 innings from Oakland’s bullpen, averaging 97 mph on his fastball and recording a 3.18 ERA/3.39 FIP with 10.32 K/9 and 3.97 BB/9. A full-time starting role may have been in the cards this season had the 25-year-old stayed healthy, though it continues to look doubtful that he’ll pitch at all in 2020.

Even without Puk, the A’s have jumped out to a 23-14 record and a 3 1/2-game lead in the American League West. They’ve done so despite uninspiring production from their rotation, which ranks 17th in the majors in ERA (4.85) and FIP (4.41). Their bullpen, on the other hand, has been marvelous, as it owns the league’s best ERA (2.20) and FIP (3.22). Perhaps Puk will still be able to help either of those units this year, but time is running out.

Marcus Semien Could Be Nearing Return

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  • A rib/side injury has kept Marcus Semien out of action since August 29, though the Athletics shortstop could take batting practice on the field tomorrow, manager Bob Melvin told MLB.com’s Martin Gallegos and other reporters.  That could be a precursor for an impending return for Semien, who can return whenever he is ready since he wasn’t placed on the injured list — the A’s had a team-wide break in the schedule due to a positive COVID-19 test.  Semien is still looking to get on track this season, hitting only .229/.285/.379 over his first 151 plate appearances.
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