A's Place Former New York Mets Prospect on IL, So Who is Starting Tuesday?

The Athletics have announced that they have placed right-hander J.T. Ginn on the 15-day injured list with right elbow inflammation, retroactive to April 25. His First start of the 2025 campaign came against the team that drafted him, the New York Mets, and he was tremendous. The 25-year-old went 5.1 innings, giving up just one earned run on five hits and two walks while striking out six.

In the two starts that have followed, Ginn has gotten progressively worse. He went 4.2 innings in Milwaukee last weekend, giving up three runs, and this week against the Texas Rangers he lasted just 3.2 innings and gave up another three runs--all three on solo homers in a span of four batters.

As a corresponding move, the A's have recalled Jacob Lopez from Triple-A Las Vegas. The left-hander was sent down just a couple of days ago in the group of moves that brought No. 1 prospect Nick Kurtz to the big leagues, and in his couple of days with Vegas he did not pitch.

In three appearances for the A's out of the bullpen this season, Lopez has yet to allow an earned run, though there has been plenty of traffic on the bases when he's been on the mound. In his 4.1 innings of work, he's allowed five hits and three walks, giving him a WHIP of 1.85.

One reason that his WHIP is so high is because his BABIP is at .385. Granted, allowing free passes isn't going to help matters, but he's also been a bit unlucky with how the ball has been bouncing thus far in a small sample. His expected ERA (xERA) based off the quality of contact he's allowed is still a solid 1.99.

That contact has been soft, with an average exit velocity of just 83 miles per hour. Because of this, his expected batting average against is just .160, but his actual batting average against currently sits at .278.

While his cutter and his slider have each gained a tick with the lefty pitching out of the bullpen, his four-seamer has remained consistent at 90.7 miles per hour year over year.

The big question as it pertains to Lopez is what his role will be this time around. With Ginn's spot in the rotation not coming up until Tuesday, Lopez could be up to provide some depth out of the bullpen. That said, A's GM David Forst said when they acquired Lopez in the Jeffrey Springs trade with the Tampa Bay Rays in December that the team sees him as a starting pitcher.

This could be an opportunity for him to get a start next week against the Texas Rangers.

Or, Lopez is up to provide the A's with a second left-hander in the bullpen much like he was doing before, while Hogan Harris moves from his bullpen role into the rotation.

Harris hasn't pitched in the big leagues quite as much as Lopez this season, getting into two games and going 2.2 total innings, but he also has a 0.00 ERA. His WHIP is also significantly lower at 1.13, while his expected stats are in line with what Lopez has produced.

He also has experience in the A's rotation, making 15 starts over the past two seasons, and held a 2.86 ERA over 72.1 innings last season. He'll walk some guys, but he also has swing-and-miss stuff that can get him out of jams.

There are also two options for the A's to consider in the minors in right-handers Joey Estes and Gunnar Hoglund. Estes started the season in the rotation, and was sent down after struggling with his command in his first two starts. Hoglund, 25, is the team's No. 3 prospect and holds a 2.92 ERA through five starts in Triple-A.

The A's may not want to rush Hoglund's development, and they'll likely want to see Estes turn it on before bringing him back up if they can help it, so it would appear as though the answer for Tuesday's starter will be Harris. If a starter isn't announced by game time on Sunday, then we may get a hint by how the bullpen is used during the game.