Brewers Activate Rob Zastryzny, Transfer Angel Zerpa To 60-Day IL
The Brewers have activated left-hander Rob Zastryzny off the 60-day injured list to rejoin their bullpen, according to Adam McCalvy of MLB.com. Righty Carlos Rodriguez is being optioned to Triple-A. Angel Zerpa has been shifted to the 60-day IL in Zastryzny’s place.
Zastryzny pitched for Team Canada in the World Baseball Classic but suffered a left shoulder strain in spring training with Milwaukee. He was placed on the 15-day injured list on March 25th and transferred to the 60-day IL in mid-April. That ruled out Zastryzny through the end of May, though he’s now healthy and returning for his third season with the Brewers.
Zastryzny’s had three extended injury absences since joining the Brewers for the 2024 season, so he’s only thrown 29 2/3 innings for them. His results in that sample have been solid. Zastryzny has a 2.12 ERA while allowing just a .580 OPS to opposing hitters since 2024. At the same time, Zastryzny’s fastball sits in the low 90s, and his 4.09 FIP since 2024 shows he benefitted from good luck (and good defense behind him).
That said, the Brewers only need Zastryzny to be a serviceable arm, not a premium back-end reliever. The club’s bullpen is in the Top 10 in the Majors by most metrics, including strikeout rate (24.3%), K-BB rate (13.9%), groundball rate (45.9%), and ERA (3.28). Among eight qualified Brewers relievers, only Trevor Megill and Jake Woodford have ERAs over 4.50. Megill has a a 2.88 expected ERA and strong peripherals, so he’s due for positive regression. Led by the nine-win Aaron Ashby, the other relievers have ranged from solid to excellent. Zastryzny is out of options, so he’ll need to re-establish himself quickly, as he can only be taken off the roster by a DFA.
Zerpa’s move to the 60-day IL is entirely expected. He underwent Tommy John surgery a few weeks ago and will therefore miss all of 2026 and a good chunk of 2027. Zerpa will likely repeat his $1.095MM salary in arbitration as a result. The left-hander had a 4.03 ERA in 118 1/3 innings with Kansas City from 2024-25, along with a staggering 60.5% groundball rate that was fifth-best among qualified relievers. With Zerpa’s current timeline, he’ll have the opportunity to provide a year and a half of serviceable relief before hitting free agency after 2028.
Rodriguez heads back to Triple-A having only made two appearances in his latest stint in the Majors. He was recalled on May 24th and threw two scoreless innings against the Dodgers that same day. Rodriguez’s next appearance on May 30th was less fortunate, as he allowed three earned runs in 3 1/3 innings against the Astros. He’s only 24 and has been optioned and recalled several times this year, so Rodriguez will certainly get more chances in the Brewers’ bullpen.
Photo courtesy of Kim Klement Neitzel, Imagn Images
Orioles Outright Dietrich Enns
TODAY: Per Roch Kubatko, Enns has cleared waivers and accepted an outright assignment to Triple-A Norfolk.
May 26th: The Orioles announced that they have recalled left-hander Nick Raquet from Triple-A Norfolk, a move that was reported by Roch Kubatko of MASNsports.com earlier. In a corresponding move, the O’s designated fellow lefty Dietrich Enns for assignment.
Enns, now 35, had an intriguing comeback season in 2025. He had made his major league debut a few years prior but wound up pitching overseas from 2022 to 2024. He was back in North America last year and logged 46 1/3 innings between the Tigers and Orioles. He allowed 4.08 earned runs per nine. His 24.5% strikeout rate and 7.5% walk rate were both a bit better than average. He may have even had better results without a .338 batting average on balls in play, which is why his 3.54 SIERA was a bit lower than his ERA.
The O’s signed Enns for the 2026 season, a one-year deal with a $2.625MM guarantee and a club option for 2027. Here in 2026, a left foot infection put him on the IL for about a month, from early April to early May. Around that IL stint, he has given Baltimore 16 innings with a 3.94 ERA but with worse numbers under the hood. His 18.6% strikeout rate and 15.7% walk rate are both subpar figures. His BABIP and strand rate are now to the lucky side, so his 5.24 SIERA suggests he’s been worse than last year, even though he ERA is slightly better.
The Rays and Orioles went to 13 innings last night. Baltimore ultimately came out on top but it was a bit of a pyrrhic victory, as they had to use six relievers in the process. One of them was Enns, who was pitching for a second straight day. It’s likely that Baltimore’s decision to cut Enns came from a combination of the pitching staff being taxed, him being unavailable, and his uninspiring results this year. He is out of options and needed to be bumped off the 40-man entirely to open an active roster spot.
Enns now heads into DFA limbo, which can last as long as a week. The waiver process takes 48 hours, so the Orioles could take five days to explore trade interest. Given this year’s results and salary, they may not find much interest. If Enns were to clear waivers, he would likely stick around as non-roster depth. He has a previous career outright and would technically have the right to elect free agency in that scenario. But since he has less than five years of big league service time, he would have to walk away from the money he is still owed on his current deal.
Photo courtesy of Daniel Kucin Jr., Imagn Images
Rays Place Craig Kimbrel On 15-Day IL, Announce Other Moves
The Rays have placed right-hander Craig Kimbrel on the 15-day injured list with a right wrist strain, per a team announcement. The move is retroactive to May 28th. The club is also recalling lefty Cam Booser and righty Trevor Martin from Triple-A. In addition, righty Andrew Wantz is being designated for assignment, removing him from the 40-man roster.
Kimbrel joined Tampa Bay on a major league deal last week. That came after he was designated for assignment by the Mets and elected free agency. Kimbrel only got into one game with his new club, striking out two hitters in a scoreless inning on May 26th. Now, he’ll be on the shelf through at least June 4th, continuing a frustrating age-38 season for the once-great closer.
Kimbrel had a 6.00 ERA in 15 innings with the Mets before joining the Rays. Although his 4.39 expected ERA was much better, that’s obviously still not a good mark and shows that Kimbrel is a shell of his old self even accounting for poor luck. Kimbrel is averaging 93.6 MPH on his four-seamer in 2026, continuing his decline from 2023, when the pitch averaged 95.8 MPH. Dating back to the start of 2025, Kimbrel has a 4.18 ERA in 28 innings, with opposing hitters putting up an .806 OPS against him.
At best, low-leverage relief is what the Rays can expect from Kimbrel when he gets back. Tampa’s starters rank third in the Majors with a 3.11 ERA, but their bullpen ranks 25th with a 4.74 mark. Bryan Baker and Kevin Kelly have both been excellent, especially Baker in the closer role. In contrast, Jesse Scholtens is underperforming his 4.99 expected ERA by two runs, and he’s now on the injured list himself. The other qualified relievers have a 4.67 ERA or higher. Lengthy track record aside, Kimbrel probably has a short leash when he returns from injury, as the Rays won’t risk worsening their bullpen long-term with only a slim lead over the Yankees in the AL East.
In the meantime, Booser and Martin are back in the Majors as fresh arms. Booser was optioned before Opening Day and hasn’t appeared in the Majors this season, though he has a sharp 1.80 ERA in 20 innings at Triple-A. That mark comes with a 6.3% walk rate, so the Rays might be counting on improved control from Booser in the big league bullpen, at least over his 13.3% walk rate last year with the White Sox. The same can be said of Martin, who’s allowed eight walks in 15 innings at Triple-A this year but has generally limited free passes in the minors.
Wantz loses his roster spot after a single game with the Rays. He allowed five earned runs on 54 pitches in 1 2/3 innings yesterday’s 14-3 loss to the Angels. Wantz was only selected the day before, though he was out of options and needed to be designated to be taken off the roster. Wantz has been outrighted before and can technically reject an outright assignment if he clears waivers. However, he’s only thrown three innings in the Majors since the start of 2024, so it’s possible Wantz remains in the organization and waits for a call-up to re-establish himself.
Photo courtesy of Jamie Sabau, Imagn Images
The Opener: Montgomery, Tatis, Miles
The Orioles won 6-5 against the Blue Jays yesterday on a stunning five-run ninth inning comeback. Taylor Ward made a small bit of history in the game, drawing his 51st walk of the season in the home half of the first. He’s the first in Orioles franchise history to walk 51 times in the first 58 games of the season. With a .404 on-base percentage, Ward continues to be an on-base machine this year.
1. Montgomery’s homer pace
White Sox shortstop Colson Montgomery hit career home run No. 35 in yesterday’s 7-1 victory over the Tigers. The contest was Montgomery’s 128th career game, making him the fastest in South Side history to reach 35 home runs. José Abreu was the previous record holder, hitting 35 home runs in 133 games in his 2014 rookie season. As for Montgomery, the second-year shortstop continues to show impressive power with a .252 isolated slugging percentage.
2. Tatis finally goes yard
After a 55-game homerless streak to start 2026, Fernando Tatis Jr. finally went yard with a 451-foot blast against Foster Griffin of the Nationals. Tatis has been mired in the worst offensive season of his career, with his drop in power being the most notable change. Tatis has improved on a dreadful April with a 119 wRC+ in May, so perhaps getting over the mental hurdle of hitting his first home run will help him return to the Tatis of old.
3. Miles to start for Blue Jays today
Per Arden Zwelling of Sportsnet, the Blue Jays will give Spencer Miles a traditional start today against the Orioles, in lieu of using an opener. Miles, a fourth-round draft pick by the Giants in 2022, is impressing with a 2.16 ERA in his first 15 big league appearances. Only one appearance, a three-inning, 38-pitch extended opener job on May 10th, counted as a start. Miles has averaged over four innings in three bulk relief appearances since then, so he should be good to go for 70-75 pitches today.
Photo courtesy of Matt Marton, Imagn Images
Nolan Arenado’s Arizona Bounce-Back
Nolan Arenado‘s no-trade clause was the most obvious obstacle for the Cardinals in their attempts to trade the third baseman during the last two offseasons, as Arenado (especially during the winter of 2024-25) had a very short list of acceptable landing spots. It didn’t help that Arenado was also owed a substantial amount of money, and St. Louis ended up eating $31MM of the $42MM remaining on the third baseman’s contract once Arenado finally approved a trade to the Diamondbacks last January.
The bigger-picture issue hovering over the situation, however, was simply the fact that Arenado looked like a player in decline. After a superb 2022 season with the Cards that saw Arenado finish third in NL MVP voting, Arenado dropped down to a modest 107 wRC+ in 2023, then a 102 wRC+ in 2024, and then an ugly 84 wRC+. It was just the third time in Arenado’s career that he had delivered below-average offense, with the other two instances being his 2013 rookie season with the Rockies, and the pandemic-shortened 2020 campaign.
Apart from an elite strikeout rate, Arenado’s 2025 numbers were pretty ugly across the board. He hit .237/.289/.377 with 12 home runs over 436 plate appearances in what ended up as his final season in St. Louis, and his barrel and hard-hit ball rates each ranked only in the 12th percentile of all hitters. Arenado’s numbers in those two categories were pretty similar in 2024, making it consecutive seasons of diminished power.
On the plus side, Arenado’s third base glovework was still strong, even if down from his Platinum Glove-winning prime years. So in swinging that trade with the Cardinals, the D’Backs could at least count on Arenado for solid defense and a veteran voice in the clubhouse. Even if Arenado’s bat was a question mark, it was a flier the Diamondbacks were willing to take given the modest $11MM price tag ($5MM in 2026, $6MM in 2027) and the fact that Arizona hadn’t been able to land such third base targets as Alex Bregman or Brendan Donovan.
Through two months of the season, Arenado seems to have benefited from the change of scenery. The 35-year-old has turned back to the clock to some extent by hitting .275/.357/.462 with seven home runs over 196 PA, translating to a 130 wRC+. If Arenado can keep this going over a full year, the 130 wRC+ would tie the third-highest mark of his 14-year big league career.
There was some thought that the move to Chase Field might spark Arenado’s bat, and sure enough, he has done more damage in a more hitter-friendly home ballpark. Arenado has a .934 OPS across 94 home PA, as opposed to a .711 OPS in 102 PA away from Phoenix.
His overall .360 wOBA is also notably higher than his .339 xwOBA, so some regression is probably inevitable (though .339 is still comfortably above the league average). Arenado still isn’t making contact with much authority, as his barrel rate is only up to 6.5% from 4% in 2025, and his hard-hit ball rate has actually dropped from 32.6% last year to 31.9% this year. While he is still making plenty of contact, Arenado’s 17.9% strikeout rate is on pace to be the second-highest of his career.
When Arenado has squared the ball, however, he has capitalized. As per Statcast’s launch angle sweet spot metric, Arenado’s number is up to 38.4% this season, putting him in the 81st percentile of all batters. (Comparatively, Arenado’s 31.5 LAS% in 2025 put him in the 16th percentile.)
All of this success comes after a very rough opening two weeks to the season, as Arenado started his D’Backs tenure with a .392 OPS over his first 52 plate appearances. It was around this time that Arenado and the hitting coaches made some swing changes, with the third baseman telling Nick Piecoro of the Arizona Republic that he was including too much head movement and not enough of his back hip while swinging. A new pregame routine was also introduced with the goal of, as Arenado put it, “trying to see shapes and pitches before I step in the box, so when I step in the box, it doesn’t feel like it’s the first time I’m doing it.”
Time will tell if Arenado can keep this going over an extended period of time, though his hot streak has now been going for almost a month and a half. Arenado’s production has basically offset an extended slump from shortstop Geraldo Perdomo, and helped keep the Snakes in a wild-card position and a game behind the Padres for second place in the NL West.
Even if Arenado does start to cool off, the D’Backs don’t need him to be the All-Star of his prime years — they just need him to produce like a $5MM player. Rather than looking like a plan B or C for the Diamondbacks’ third base needs, the Arenado trade is now shaping up as a nice bargain for the Snakes, and one of the cannier moves of the Arizona offseason.
Tommy Kahnle To Test Free Agency If Not Promoted By Red Sox
With a June 1 opt-out date looming, veteran reliever Tommy Kahnle is expected to look for a new team if he isn’t added to Boston’s roster, reports Chris Cotillo of MassLive.com. This is the second time Boston has faced a roster decision with the right-hander, who triggered an upward mobility clause on May 1, but ultimately remained in the minors with the organization.
Kahnle has been excellent at Triple-A this year. The 36-year-old has allowed just three earned runs across 19 1/3 innings. He’s ripped off 14 consecutive scoreless outings. Kahnle is striking out more than a batter per inning with Worcester, though he does have a 13.3% walk rate.
No club jumped in to add Kahnle at the end of April, but maybe he’ll garner more interest after posting 11 zeroes in May. Boston could face a tougher choice this time. “I know there are dates coming up,” interim manager Chad Tracy said, relayed by Cotillo. “Our front office, they’re always aware of that. We’re well-aware of who he is, what he’s done and his performance down there.”
Kahnle has pitched for five teams in his 11-year MLB career. The righty spent last season in the Tigers’ bullpen. He posted a 4.43 ERA across 66 appearances. With left-hander Alex Lange getting hurt in the spring and right-hander Jason Foley falling short of a roster spot, Kahnle began the year as Detroit’s primary closer. He picked up nine saves, easily a career-high mark. Will Vest eventually emerged as manager A.J. Hinch’s preferred choice in the ninth inning.
An elite changeup has been Kahnle’s primary pitch in recent years. The offering posted a +4 Run Value this past season. Kahnle’s changeup had the fifth-highest Run Value in the league in 2024. The veteran is throwing the pitch at a 63.4% clip with the WooSox, which is actually a bit low for him. Kahnle has thrown the changeup at least 72% of the time in four straight years. He’s sitting 93 mph on the four-seamer, which is down slightly from 2025 (93.5 mph).
As Cotillo notes, lefty Tyler Samaniego and righty Greg Weissert would be potential candidates to head back to the minors if Kahnle is given a roster spot. Samaniego was crushed for four earned runs on six hits as an opener on Friday. Weissert has pitched better in May, but a rough start has his ERA sitting at 4.43. Right-hander Ryan Watson has been generally ineffective (5.35 ERA, 7.02 xERA), but since he’s a Rule 5 pick, Boston would risk losing him if he’s taken off the roster. The Red Sox relievers have pitched well as a unit. The bullpen ranks fifth in xFIP and seventh in SIERA.
Photo courtesy of Steven Bisig, Imagn Images
Royals Notes: Jensen, Ragans, Altavilla, Avila, Mears
Royals catcher Carter Jensen was shifted to the leadoff spot on Saturday with the club searching for offensive production. The young backstop came through with an RBI single and a two-run homer. Kansas City scored six runs in the contest after having put up a total of five runs in four games this week.
“I like the idea of hitting leadoff,” Jensen said before the game, relayed by Jaylon Thompson of the Kansas City Star. “I think I can fill the role great. I think it’s just putting my approach to my plan and just going out there and competing.”
Jensen has mostly hit fifth this season. Of his 167 at-bats, 125 have come in the No. 5 spot. He’d led off just once this year heading into Saturday. Jensen went 1-for-5 with a pair of RBI in that game, a 12-1 Royals’ win. He was atop the lineup for two games in 2025, posting three hits (all doubles) in 11 ABs. One of those matchups was a 20-1 win.
The 22-year-old Jensen hasn’t been able to recapture the form he showed in his MLB debut last year. He was slashing .222/.306/.383 heading into Saturday. The catcher is still walking at a double-digit clip, but his strikeout rate has spiked to 29.0%. Jensen struck out just 17.4% in 2025. He posted a massive 159 wRC+ in 20 games.
Kansas City has scored the second-fewest runs in the league. The team ranks in the bottom five for OPS and wRC+. The leadoff spot itself hasn’t been a major issue, as Maikel Garcia has posted near league-average numbers. Garcia was moved to the No. 3 spot for the past two games, including tonight. Lane Thomas led off on Friday.
The Royals have dropped 15 of their last 18 games. The slide has the club sitting 11 games behind the first-place Guardians in the AL Central. Despite the challenges, coaching changes are not on the horizon, per general manager J.J. Picollo. “I have a lot of confidence in our staff,” Picollo told reporters, including Anne Rogers of MLB.com. “You can go back and look at all the historical research on changing coaching staffs. There’s not a lot of strong data on changing coaching staffs mid-season leading to what you need to do.”
Here’s more from the Royals…
- Left-hander Cole Ragans has resumed his rehab assignment, according to his MLB player page. The ace was shut down from throwing earlier this week after feeling stiffness in his elbow. Ragans has been on the injured list with a left elbow impingement since early May. It’s unclear when exactly he’ll make his next Triple-A appearance. Ragans last pitched on May 23.
- Kansas City added veteran reliever Dan Altavilla on a minor league deal, the club announced. The right-hander was released by Minnesota’s Triple-A affiliate on Monday. The 33-year-old Altavilla has spent parts of eight MLB seasons with four teams. That includes a brief stint with the Royals in 2024, when he was knocked around for six earned runs over 3 2/3 innings. Altavilla posted a strong 2.48 ERA in 28 appearances with the White Sox last year.
- Right-hander Luinder Avila is joining the rotation, manager Matt Quatraro told reporters, including Rogers. His next start will likely come on Monday against the Reds. Avila made a start in his first big-league appearance this year, but has since operated out of the bullpen. The righty has covered three innings in back-to-back outings. He got up to 67 pitches on Tuesday against the Yankees.
- Reliever Nick Mears was placed on the IL on Friday, the team announced. The right-hander will miss time with a right shoulder impingement. Right-hander Eric Cerantola was recalled to take his spot. Mears came to the Royals in the offseason, along with outfielder Isaac Collins, in a trade that sent lefty Angel Zerpa to the Brewers. The righty permitted runs in just two of his first 16 appearances with the club. He’s since allowed eight earned runs over his last five outings.
Photo courtesy of Andrew Dieb, Imagn Images
Brewers Move Quinn Priester To Arizona Complex League
With his rehab assignment going poorly, the Brewers are sending right-hander Quinn Priester to the lowest level of the minor leagues. The injured starter will head to the team’s complex in Arizona to continue his recovery, per Adam McCalvy of MLB.com. Priester is working his way back from symptoms related to thoracic outlet syndrome. He opened the regular season on the injured list.
Priester failed to get out of the first inning in his Wednesday start at Triple-A. He allowed three earned runs on two hits and three walks. Priester has permitted 13 earned runs in 5 2/3 innings with Nashville this month. He also made an appearance with High-A Wisconsin, where he was pounded for seven earned runs while getting just four outs. Priester has a 21.60 ERA in six minor league starts.
“We just felt like he’s not getting anywhere in Triple-A right now,” manager Pat Murphy said, relayed by McCalvy. “He’s spinning his wheels a little bit, trying to find himself.”
Priester was diagnosed with a nerve issue in the spring. He’s avoided surgery up to this point. The decision to move Priester from Triple-A to Rookie ball will be the second time his rehab has had to be adjusted. His first rehab attempt was shuttered after three appearances. Priester hit two batters and walked eight more across five innings at Triple-A, prompting the pause. The control has not improved since he restarted his recovery. Priester has nine walks and a hit batter over his last three outings.
Milwaukee took a flyer on Priester last season, and it paid off handsomely. The righty had posted uninspiring results in his first two years as a big leaguer. The Brewers grabbed him in a minor trade with the Red Sox early in the 2025 campaign. He became a staple of the rotation with his new team. Priester tossed 157 1/3 innings with a 3.32 ERA. The righty leaned on a new cutter to go with his sinker and slider. The arsenal tweak had him looking like a mid-rotation arm moving forward.
With the shift to the Complex League, the club is looking to get Priester into a low-pressure environment in the hopes of helping him return to form. “We were wishful thinking when we thought he could go to Triple-A and just get it back,” Murphy said. The skipper added that building up Priester could take another month.
The Brewers have been without right-hander Brandon Woodruff since the end of April. Righty Logan Henderson went on the IL last week with a back injury. Milwaukee has covered the absences in the rotation with a mix that has included Chad Patrick, Brandon Sproat, and Coleman Crow. Patrick, in particular, has been effective, recording a 2.60 ERA over 45 innings.
Photo courtesy of Benny Sieu, Imagn Images
Phillies Designate Zach Pop For Assignment
The Phillies reinstated right-hander Zach Pop from the 15-day injured list and designated him for assignment, the team announced. The club needed a 40-man spot for righty Max Lazar, who was activated from the 60-day IL and optioned to Triple-A.
Pop hit the IL in mid-April with a right calf strain. He began a rehab assignment earlier this month. The veteran righty opened the season in the Phillies’ bullpen. He allowed three earned runs across seven appearances. Pop made his first MLB start in his final outing before the leg injury. He tossed two innings against the Diamondbacks as an opener ahead of Andrew Painter.
The 29-year-old Pop has pitched in parts of six MLB seasons with five different clubs. He joined the Phillies in December. Pop struggled mightily in five outings last year, split between the Mariners and Mets. He was crushed for 11 earned runs over 6 2/3 frames. The righty performed much better this spring, posting a 3.86 ERA across nine appearances during exhibition play.
Lazar opened the season on the injured list with a left oblique strain. He began a rehab assignment on the final day of April, which meant his 30-day rehab clock was expiring. Lazar has made 11 appearances in the minors this year. The 26-year-old has pitched well, tossing 13 1/3 innings with a 2.70 ERA.
Philadelphia added Lazar as a minor league free agent heading into the 2024 season. He debuted in the big leagues that year, pitching in 11 games with the Phillies. Lazar was a semi-regular member of the bullpen last season. He operated mostly in lower-leverage situations. The righty recorded an ERA up near 5.00, supported by a 4.58 xFIP and a 4.57 SIERA. He did pick up his first career MLB save in an 11-inning win against the A’s.
Lazar is in his second minor league option year. He’s unlikely to make a significant impact with the big-league club this season. The Phillies did need a temporary long man in the bullpen with Aaron Nola heading to the paternity list, but it was righty Nolan Hoffman who got the call.
Photo courtesy of Kyle Ross, Imagn Images
Luis Severino Placed On 15-Day IL With Shoulder Strain
4:45pm: The A’s have placed Severino on the 15-day IL with a right shoulder strain. Right-hander Michael Kelly was recalled to take his spot on the roster. Kelly broke camp with the club but was optioned to Triple-A in early April.
8:52am: Luis Severino threw only 23 pitches in an inning of work during his start in the Athletics’ 8-2 loss to the Yankees on Friday. While warming up for the top of the second, Severino was visited by the team trainer and eventually left the mound due to what the A’s later announced was a bout of arm soreness.
The issue has bothered Severino for the last week, as the right-hander told MLB.com’s Martin Gallegos and other reporters that he came out of his previous start on May 21 with some right triceps tightness. After a bullpen session on Tuesday went well, the A’s still opted to push Severino’s next start to Friday to provide for a little extra rest through the club’s Thursday off-day.
At this point, however, it seems likely that Severino will require a 15-day IL stint to fully recover. No decision has been made yet, as Severino is set to undergo more tests today to further explore the problem. “The biggest [concern] for me is not even my next start. It’s finding something that is going to keep me out for a long time,” Severino said. “If the worst-case scenario is missing one or two starts, I’m happy with that.”
Following the weekend series with New York, the A’s have another off-day on Monday before playing nine games in nine days. The team won’t have to address Severino’s next turn in the rotation until Thursday, yet it looks like the A’s will again have to dip into their rotation depth chart after already losing Aaron Civale to the injured list (with a bout of shoulder tendinitis) earlier this week.
Gallegos suggests that prospect Kade Morris could be called up from Triple-A to make his MLB debut, should the Athletics need a starter to fill in for Severino. Morris isn’t on the 40-man roster, however, so Joey Estes or Mason Barnett could get the call if roster considerations are a factor. Luis Morales is also on the 40-man but has been moved a relief role in Triple-A as the right-hander has continued to struggle.
The A’s remain just 1.5 games out of both first place in the AL West and an AL wild card slot, yet that has more to do with the American League’s parity than it does with the Athletics’ modest 27-30 record. As expected going into the season, the Athletics have been carried by their offense, though the team’s lineup has been more okay than elite. The A’s have gotten okay-ish results from Jeffrey Springs, J.T. Ginn, Civale, and Severino in the rotation, though naturally more is expected from Severino given the three-year, $67MM free agent deal he signed during the 2024-25 offseason.
Severino’s second year in West Sacramento has seen the right-hander improve his ERA to 4.16 and his strikeout rate to 24%, though his 11.4% walk rate is on pace to be the second-highest total of his 11 Major League seasons. Severino was public with his displeasure last year over pitching at Sutter Health Park, and his home/away splits continue to markedly differ. In 2026, Severino has a 3.38 ERA over 37 1/3 innings on the road, and a 5.33 ERA over 25 1/3 innings at home.