A's Reportedly Calling Up Brooks Kriske as Bullpen Unravels

The A's bullpen has been struggling, and the team is looking for answers

Iowa Cubs' Brooks Kriske pitches during a game at Principal Park on June 14, 2025, in Des Moines. | Lily Smith/The Register / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Last week we wrote about how the A's bullpen has been terrific, even after the Mason Miller trade, holding the second-best ERA in baseball since the deal. In the time that has passed since that went up, A's relievers have posted an 8.55 ERA, ranking them 29th in MLB.

With the struggles of the bullpen on full display on Tuesday night and a fresh arm needed, the A's are reportedly calling up veteran Brooks Kriske ahead of Wednesday's contest against the Philadelphia Phillies.

The A's signed the 32-year-old to a minor-league deal in December, and he has been in Triple-A with the Las Vegas Aviators to begin the season. He's made 10 appearances totaling 16 innings and holds a 2.25 ERA (3.63 FIP) with a 1.38 WHIP. Batters are also hitting just .196 against him this season.

Kriske looks like the type of arm that can go multiple innings — which the A's desperately need right now — and he's had a lot of success piling up strikeouts, holding a 37.3% strikeout rate. The big downside here is that he's also running a 16.4% walk rate, so if the strikeout numbers dip as major league hitters don't chase, then those walks will get him in trouble.

The concern will be if his Triple-A success will translate this time around.

In his big-league career, the righty has totaled 39 2/3 innings since 2020, playing for the Yankees, Orioles, Royals, Cubs and Twins. He's compiled a 9.53 ERA (7.10 FIP) in those innings, with his walk rate being in line with where it's at right now at 16.8%, but his strikeout rate dropping to 22.5%.

He's the best of the options the A's currently have in the minors, which is why this morning we made the case for the A's making a half-measure move. Essentially, the team needs to add an arm via waiver claim or trade to give them a boost. Kriske is a nice short-term option with some upside, but not a long-term solution. He's not the move we were talking about.

The official move hasn't been disclosed by the team just yet, and will likely come in the next couple of hours, but it's fair to speculate that it will be Tyler Ferguson that is leaving the A's roster to make room for Kriske. He made his season debut with the club on Tuesday, providing 1 1/3 innings and giving up four earned runs on 26 pitches, making him unavailable for Wednesday's game.

The A's generally follow that cycle of optioning a player that has big workload in order to get a fresh arm, and Ferguson fits that bill.

The question at hand is how the A's fit Kriske onto the 40-man roster. That could be a Ferguson DFA, but he has a profile that could be enticing to other teams, making him a risky DFA. That would leave the A's to have to choose another player on the 40-man to remove while still optioning Ferguson.