A's Send Down Gossett, Holmes and Kaprielian

Three pitchers who have some hope of pitching in Oakland later this season among the first players cut from the Athletics' camp.

Three pitchers who may at some point be with the A’s later this season learned officially Thursday that they won’t start the season in Oakland.

Right-handed pitchers Daniel Gossett, Grant Holmes and James Kaprielian were all optioned to the Triple-A Las Vegas roster Thursday afternoon.

In addition, non-roster right-handed pitchers Tanner Anderson, Wandisson Charles and Miguel Romero to their minor league camp.

Kaprielian has missed parts of three seasons – half of 2016 and all of 2017 and 2018 while recuperating from Tommy John surgery. He was already injured when the A’s traded for him as part of the Sonny Gray deal with the Yankees in 2017. It was difficult for anyone to project how much of an impact pitcher he could be coming back, or even if he’d be able to make it all the way back.

What he needed more than anything was a season of pitching where his health wasn’t hanging over him. That came last year when, beginning in May, he resumed the game.

There were struggles early on, including a 4.41 ERA at Class-A Stockton, but the club saw enough for a promotion, and that feeling was rewarded. He had seven appearances (five starts) for Double-A Midland, then ended the year with one start at Triple-A Las Vegas. The last two stops showed he was close to regaining his old self, posting a 1.71 ERA in those eight games.

Holmes was supposed to be the breakout pitcher coming Oakland’s way when the A’s traded Josh Reddick and Rich Hill to the Dodgers in the middle of 2016. Holmes was ranked the best of the three players the A’s got in that deal, ahead of Frankie Montas and Jharel Cotton. Montas and Cotton, now with the Cubs, have made the jump to the bigs, but Holmes has not only not made it to the bigs, but he has pitched just one game at Triple-A last year.

He’s been limited by a shoulder injury in 2918 and tendinitis troubles in 2019 slowed him before he started to get things together at Double-A Midland.

As for Gossett, he made 18 starts in 2017 and another five in 2018 before needing Tommy John surgery. That shut him down for 13 months. The A’s still like his potential, but they need him to go out, get innings and get back to being the pitcher he was.

He got a chance to show how healthy he was with 14 innings in the Arizona Fall League, where he had a 2.57 ERA and a 0.93 WHIP.

Oakland now has 58 players on the active roster, which includes 37 players on the 40-man roster and 21 non-roster invitees.