A’s Finalize Opening Day Bullpen
The A’s finalized their Opening Day bullpen last night, announcing that righty Jack Perkins has been optioned to Triple-A. He’ll likely remain stretched out as a rotation option in the minors, per Martin Gallegos of MLB.com. That leaves righties J.T. Ginn and Luis Medina (the latter of whom is out of minor league options) as the final two members of the Athletics’ initial relief corps this season.
There are no 40-man transactions at play here, but it’s notable that the hard-throwing Medina made the club, as he’d have otherwise been designated for assignment. That was hardly a lock, given the manner in which the 26-year-old has struggled this spring. Medina has pitched 7 1/3 innings and allowed six runs — good for a 7.36 earned run average. Small-sample ERA marks aren’t particularly meaningful, but Medina was probably lucky to “only” surrender six runs. He’s been tagged for six hits and walked a whopping nine batters (24.3%) this spring.
Some rust for Medina is understandable, however. He didn’t pitch at all last year after undergoing Tommy John surgery in August of the 2024 season. Medina has never had particularly sharp command, though this spring’s struggles to locate the ball are obviously extreme even by his prior standards. He’s walked 11.4% of his opponents in 149 2/3 big league innings.
The A’s acquired Medina, JP Sears, Ken Waldichuk and Cooper Bowman from the Yankees in the 2022 trade sending Frankie Montas and Lou Trivino to the Yankees. He’s started 25 games for the A’s and made another six relief appearances since, but opponents have roughed him up for a 5.35 ERA. Medina averaged 96 mph on his four-seamer while working primarily as a starter prior to surgery. He’s been sitting 97.2 mph this spring while working in short relief.
The rotation may not have panned out for Medina, but a pitcher with his velocity and a slider that has generated a huge 20.2% swinging-strike rate could have success in a bullpen capacity. The A’s have invested more than a year in the right-hander’s rehab from that UCL surgery, so despite the rocky spring, it’s only natural that they want to give him some leash to see if he can round into form and give them a quality bullpen option. He’s earning just $835K this year and is under club control through 2029.
Ginn has had an even rougher spring. The former second-round pick came to the A’s from the Mets in the trade sending Chris Bassitt to Queens. He’s been tagged for 17 runs on 18 hits, seven walks and four hit batters during Cactus League play. Ginn has fanned nearly a quarter of his opponents and been dogged by a sky-high .385 average on balls in play, but it’s been an underwhelming spring regardless.
Be that as it may, Ginn will get a crack at carving out a role in a wide-open bullpen landscape. He’s pitched 124 1/3 major league innings to date and carries a 4.85 ERA, 24% strikeout rate and 7.5% walk rate. Ginn’s heater has ticked up a bit this spring, and he’s been mixing in more cutters and changeups at the expense of his slider and sinker. He’s a somewhat natural candidate for a multi-inning/swing role, given his prior work as a starter. Even this spring, he’s made four starts.
The A’s will enter the season with a committee approach to the late innings. Veterans Scott Barlow and Mark Leiter Jr. are the only A’s relievers with real late-inning experience — the former as a closer and the latter as a setup man. It’s been four years since Barlow pitched like a high-end closer, however, and while Leiter has continued to see leverage opportunities in recent seasons, he has a lackluster 4.66 ERA dating back to Opening Day 2024.
Barlow, Leiter, Ginn and Medina will be joined by lefty Hogan Harris and right-handers Justin Sterner, Michael Kelly and Elvis Alvarado in manager Mark Kotsay‘s Opening Day ‘pen. Leiter, Barlow and Medina are the only three members of that octet who cannot be optioned to Triple-A, so there’ll surely be something of a revolving door in the Athletics’ bullpen early in the season as they cycle in fresh arms and look to find the optimal combination for Kotsay.
A’s Have Two Rotation Spots Up For Grabs In Camp
The A’s added back-end starter Aaron Civale on a $6MM free agent contract this week. He slots behind Luis Severino and Jeffrey Springs as experienced arms in an otherwise young rotation. Manager Mark Kotsay suggested on Wednesday that while the three veterans were locked into starting spots, camp battles could decide the final two roles. “It’s definitely an open competition,” the fourth-year skipper told Martín Gallegos of MLB.com. “I think we do have some depth this year that we haven’t had in the past.”
Of the A’s returning starters, only Springs and Severino got to 100 MLB innings last season. Jacob Lopez led the way with 92 2/3 frames across 21 appearances (17 starts). He was followed in MLB workload by J.T. Ginn, Luis Morales, Gunnar Hoglund, Mason Barnett and Jack Perkins. Morales and Lopez had the most success and enter camp as the presumptive favorites.
The 23-year-old Morales turned in a 3.14 earned run average over his first 48 2/3 MLB frames. His 21.6% strikeout percentage and 9% walk rate weren’t as impressive, and his fly-ball profile led to some home run trouble. The underlying numbers would suggest he’s a regression candidate, but he could certainly offset that by missing more bats in his first full season. Morales has a 97 mph average fastball and a potential plus breaking ball.
Lopez is a soft-tossing lefty who turns 28 during Spring Training. That points to a lower ceiling than Morales possesses, but he arguably showed more in his rookie season. Lopez punched out 28.3% of opponents behind an above-average 11.8% swinging strike rate. He finished the year with a 4.08 ERA that is skewed by a nine-run drubbing that he took in Seattle just before he went on the injured list with a season-ending flexor strain. He carried a 3.28 earned run average into that appearance.
It was a relatively small sample and it’s easy to see potential downside. Lopez is an extreme fly-ball pitcher who’ll spend the next two seasons in the most hitter-friendly home park outside Colorado. A 90-91 mph average fastball doesn’t give him much margin for error. Home runs are likely to be an issue, but Lopez has always missed more bats than his velocity might suggest thanks to a quality slider and plus command. Gallegos writes that Lopez is slightly behind schedule because of the late-season forearm issue but should have time to log a full Spring Training workload.
Ginn probably has the best chance to push one of Morales or Lopez for a season-opening rotation spot. He fanned a quarter of opponents against an 8% walk rate while getting ground-balls more than half the time. A lot of the fly balls that he did give up cleared the fences. Sutter Health Park did Ginn no favors, as 12 of his 17 home runs allowed came at home. He had a near-7.00 ERA in Sacramento compared to a 3.14 ERA on the road. The cumulative result was a 5.08 mark across 90 1/3 innings.
Barnett was called up late in the season. He was hit hard over five starts, posting a near-7.00 ERA through 22 1/3 innings. He has shown intriguing stuff, headlined by a mid-90s fastball and quality slider, but the command has been inconsistent throughout his minor league career. Hoglund is a former first-round pick whose prospect stock had tumbled after Tommy John surgery. He seemed to put himself back on the map with a strong six-start run in Triple-A, but major league opponents teed off over his first six career outings. He underwent season-ending hip surgery in June.
Perkins started four of 12 appearances after being called up in June. He suffered a season-ending shoulder strain in August. He sat around 96 mph on the fastball and got excellent results on a mid-80s breaking ball. Perkins’ minor league numbers suggest he might be better suited in the bullpen, however. He walked 11.3% of Triple-A opponents and has posted double digit walk rates in three straight seasons.
Luis Medina and Joey Estes have some MLB experience and hold 40-man roster spots. Medina is out of options and missed all of last season rehabbing Tommy John surgery. He’s probably ticketed for long relief to open the season, while Estes could be on the fringe of the 40-man roster. Medina is the only member of this group aside from the three veterans who cannot be optioned.
The highest-upside arms in the organization are still in the minor leagues. Gage Jump and Jamie Arnold are two of the top pitching prospects in the sport. Jump has an outside chance to break camp after posting a 3.64 ERA while striking out a quarter of opponents over 20 Double-A appearances. He’s not on the 40-man roster, but each of Braden Nett, Henry Baez and Chen Zhong-Ao Zhuang are. They’re solid prospects (Nett and Baez, in particular) who have Double-A experience and could get some consideration to break camp if they really impress during Spring Training.
A’s Activate Jacob Wilson From Injured List
Jacob Wilson returns to action nearly a month after suffering a forearm fracture. The A’s activated the rookie shortstop from the 10-day injured list. He’s hitting fifth against Seattle starter Bryan Woo. The A’s optioned Max Schuemann to Triple-A Las Vegas in a corresponding move. They also made a couple changes on the pitching staff. Eduarniel Núñez and Joey Estes are up from Triple-A as Ben Bowden (lat strain) and Jack Perkins (shoulder strain) land on the 15-day injured list.
Wilson’s return is the most significant of those moves. The 2023 sixth overall pick had an outstanding first half. He’s hitting .312/.354/.439 with 10 longballs and 17 doubles. Wilson had struggled a bit in July but hit .323 or better in each of the season’s first three months. His return won’t mean much in the standings with the A’s sitting 11 games below .500, but they’re obviously a much better team when he’s in the lineup.
At the time of his injury, Wilson was the frontrunner for American League Rookie of the Year. Teammate Nick Kurtz has mashed his way to that spot and probably has the award all but secure at this point. Wilson still easily leads MLB rookies with 115 hits. He has a shot to finish in second for the award, though Boston’s Roman Anthony and the Yankees’ Will Warren are among those who also have reasonable arguments for that spot.
Anthony would earn a full year of service if he manages a top two finish. While he already signed a long-term extension with the Red Sox, that’d be important for his earning power considering his deal has significant escalators dependent on his Rookie of the Year placement. The ROY finish is less meaningful for Wilson. He has been on the MLB roster since Opening Day and will get a full service year either way. He cannot earn the A’s an extra draft choice by winning the award, however, because he entered this year with more than 60 days of service. Wilson spent five weeks on the MLB injured list late last season with a hamstring strain, which is why he had that much service time while remaining Rookie of the Year eligible.
Darell Hernaiz was called up when Wilson went on the shelf. The 24-year-old has turned in a solid .261/.337/.420 slash in 20 games. That’s enough to hold his roster spot. Hernaiz had played shortstop while Wilson was down but moves to second base tonight. He’ll probably get everyday run there, kicking impending free agent Luis Urías to the bench.
Athletics Select Jack Perkins
The A’s selected Jack Perkins‘ contract from Triple-A Las Vegas today, putting the right-hander potentially in line to make his MLB debut today as a reliever during the Athletics’ game with the Guardians. In corresponding moves, right-hander Anthony Maldonado was optioned to Triple-A, and right-hander Gunnar Hoglund was moved from the 15-day injured list to the 60-day injured list. (Hoglund’s move to the 60-day IL was expected at some point, as he recently underwent a season-ending hip surgery.)
The 25-year-old Perkins was a fifth-round pick for the Athletics in the 2022 draft, and his numbers have steadily improved as he has climbed the minor league ladder. Reaching Triple-A for the first time this year, Perkins has a 2.86 ERA, 11.3% walk rate, and an eye-opening 38.4% strikeout rate across 44 innings and nine starts for Las Vegas in 2025. Most recently, Perkins has a tiny 0.55 ERA and 29 strikeouts in his last 16 1/3 frames, and this hot streak was enough to punch Perkins’ first ticket to the Show.
While he’ll begin as a reliever for now, it wouldn’t be a surprise to see the A’s give Perkins a look or two in the rotation, as he has worked primarily as a starter over his four pro seasons. Control has been a persistent issue for Perkins in the minors, as his fastball (which sits in the 94-97mph range) and slider are the only pitches in Perkins’ arsenal that he has consistently thrown for strikes.
These two plus pitches might mean that Perkins could end up in the bullpen over the long run, though better results with his cutter or curveball would help Perkins’ overall repertoire and increase his chances of sticking as a rotation arm in the big leagues. Baseball America ranked Perkins as the fourth-best prospect in the Athletics’ farm system, while MLB Pipeline ranked him ninth.