Athletics Ace Luis Severino Lands on IL Following Yankees Start
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On Saturday, the Athletics announced that their ace, Luis Severino, will head to the injured list with a right shoulder strain. Severino left Friday night's contest against the New York Yankees after a rough first inning.
In a corresponding move, the A's have elected to recall right-hander Michael Kelly from Triple-A Las Vegas. Kelly currently holds a 6.23 ERA this season in the big leagues and was sent down to Vegas on April 9th.
Severino now joins fellow A's veteran starter Aaron Civale on the 15-day injured list, as he was placed on the list following his start against the Seattle Mariners. Civale suffered right shoulder tendinitis, and the team is unsure when he will be available to return or whether he will need a rehab assignment.
The A’s are placing right-hander Luis Severino on the 15-day injured list following last night’s removal against the Yankees.
— Dylan Quinn (@dylanq_2) May 30, 2026
The club is recalling right-hander Michael Kelly from Triple-A Las Vegas.#Athletics
Replacements for Severino's Spot in the Rotation
The A's have a couple of options on who could replace Severino's spot in the rotation. One real possibility is Luis Morales, who's had a tough year but was one of the club's most reliable arms during the second half of 2025. Even a dominant start for Morales in the spring led to a quick demotion this season.
Morales holds a brutal 14.46 ERA in a pair of starts for the Green and Gold this season. Although his fastball velocity is still up there with some of the best in the game, his stuff and his control have taken a huge step down this season. This led to the club demoting him to Triple-A after just those two starts.
Luis Morales, 98mph ⛽️ pic.twitter.com/NsxoAq97q6
— Rob Friedman (@PitchingNinja) August 28, 2025
Pitching in a hitter-friendly ballpark in Las Vegas has also not helped Luis Morales at the Triple-A level this season. He holds a 9.41 ERA in 22 innings with the Aviators and has continued to get hit around. Because of Morales' reliability last season, he could be a strong contender to take Severino's spot in the rotation.
If the team elects to keep him in Triple-A, Mason Barnett could be another option for the club. He has been a consistent starter for Vegas and has pitched two scoreless innings in the big leagues this season.
Adding Another Starter Before the Trade Deadline
Assuming the A's can stay relatively close to the top of the AL West rankings, the A's could also receive some starting pitching help via trade. With there still being months until MLB's trade deadline, there's going to be no rush for any trades, but the A's could get into the action early if injuries continue to rattle the team.
Back when the A's were a playoff team in 2018 and 2019, they acquired starters Mike Fiers, Tanner Roark, and Homer Bailey over the course of those two seasons before the trade deadline. Now that the club is perhaps back into contention, they could lean on the trade route once again.
There will likely be several options for the A's before the deadline, which could include veteran starters Robbie Ray or even Seth Lugo. Both the Giants and Royals could look to sell off these arms to save some cash and acquire prospect capital to help their futures.
If the A's instead elect to stay in-house, they'll have plenty of options. It's also fun to look ahead and see what names they could draw interest to as the summer starts picking up.
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Dylan Quinn grew up playing baseball, and also enjoyed watching and writing about his favorite team, the A’s. Being a diehard A’s fan from New Jersey is certainly not common, but he loves the team and all of the current and former players so much. Quinn currently attends school at Penn State Scranton where he plays baseball.
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