A's Pitcher to Make His Spring Debut Against the Los Angeles Dodgers
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The A's pitching staff is coming together nicely this spring, and they're about to get another arm with plenty of upside thrown into the mix. According to the team's game notes, which list upcoming pitching probables, the A's have slotted left-hander Jacob Lopez as their starting pitcher for Sunday's game against the Los Angeles Dodgers.
Lopez received his first real taste of the big leagues in 2025, holding a 4.08 ERA across 21 games (17 starts) spanning 92 2/3 innings. His 28.3% strikeout rate ranked among perennial Cy Young contenders, which is certainly an encouraging sign for the 27-year-old moving into the 2026 season.
All offseason Lopez has been one of the five arms slotted into the A's projected starting rotation, but when camp began manager Mark Kotsay said that only three spots, held by Luis Severino, Jeffrey Springs and Aaron Civale, were locked down. That left Lopez and Luis Morales on the outside looking in with something to prove this spring.
Sunday, against perhaps the best lineup in baseball, Lopez will get his first chance to make an impression on the coaching staff. His season ended in 2025 due to a strained left elbow, though he recently began throwing sides and live batting practice.
Should the A's slow play his build-up?
With his spring debut coming on Sunday, that would leave Lopez with just two more starts left to make on regular rest due to an off-day on Wednesday, March 18, which would have been his regular day to pitch. Without that off-day, he would then be able to make a start that day, and then in the spring finale against the Chicago White Sox five days later.
The way the schedule works out, he could either throw a simulated start on the 18th and start against Chicago, or he could pitch against the Seattle Mariners on Thursday, March 19, and have the side session to keep him fresh leading up to a potential start in the rotation when the season begins.
If the A's chose the Mariners path, that would leave him with a seven day layoff before the season even began, and then another few days for him to actually get into a game of his own. Because of this, perhaps they choose to go another route and roll with Morales and J.T. Ginn, or Ginn and Jack Perkins, or whichever pairing they decide to roll with to begin the season.
If that's the direction the A's choose, that would open up Lopez to get some work in on the minor-league side of things and get on schedule, while pitching regularly. Of course, they could also just have him stay loose on the side and deploy him—presumably against the Atlanta Braves—when the season begins.
The determining factor could be how built up he is already, and how many pitches he needs to add to be considered ready for the season. If he throws around 25 pitches on Sunday, then the A's could consider going a different route to begin the campaign, as he'd need to ramp up a decent amount.
If he's closer to 35-40, he should be in a good spot to add enough pitches before his first start of the regular season.
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Jason has been covering the A’s at various sites for over a decade, and was the original host of the Locked on A’s podcast. He also covers the Stanford Cardinal as they attempt to rebuild numerous programs to prominence.
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