Injury Updates on Key A's Pitchers
In this story:
Every team's goal during spring training is to get through camp unscathed, unconcerned with the injury bug. The teams that stay the healthiest tend to have more success during the regular season. Thus far, the injury bug has largely stayed away from A's camp, with both Lawrence Butler and Zack Gelof coming in with ailments.
MLB.com's Martín Gallegos is also reporting that two more players, this time on the pitching side of things, are delayed in camp. "Jacob Lopez has been throwing sides and live BPs this week. A’s are looking at March 8 vs. Dodgers as a potential spring debut for him. Gunnar Hoglund is seeing a doctor for a knee issue that popped up earlier this spring. He’s coming off hip surgery last June."
We knew that Lopez was dealing with a bit of an injury, but now we have an idea of when to expect him back on the mound. The question given that timeframe is whether or not he'll have enough time to stake his claim to a spot in the starting rotation. He's been penciled into one of the five slots all offseason, but this injury could present an opportunity for someone else.
Hoglund was more of an outside shot at making the rotation out of camp, but when he made his debut last season, the clubhouse was abuzz with how nasty his stuff had been looking. He has the stuff to have success in the big leagues, but injuries have plagued him and hindered his development.
Will Lopez have enough starts before Opening Day?
If Lopez is able to make his spring debut on March 8, then keeping him pitching every fifth day would put him at Friday, March 13 against either the San Diego Padres or the Milwaukee Brewers for the A's split-squad games, and then Thursday, March 19 against the Seattle Mariners. There is an off day before that game, which would make this a start after five days of rest.
That off-day also throws things into chaos, as there would only be four more games to close out Spring Training, leaving him ready to go on March 24, but with no more games on the schedule until Opening Day on March 27 in Toronto.
That's one issue here.
The other would be growing his pitch count enough to be able to join the rotation for that first turn through. If he's at around 25 pitches in that first start, which has been where A's pitchers have started thus far, then he'd be around 40-45 in that second start, and then 55-65 in the third outing, before probably at least 11 days until his next outing in Atlanta.
Of course, this is operating under the assumption that Luis Severino, Jeffrey Springs and Aaron Civale start the first three games of the season, with Lopez fourth. He could also go last, and get 12 days in between outings.
The easy fix would be to work on his pitch count in side or bullpen sessions, in order to keep him fresh. The other option would be to have someone else start in the rotation for an outing or two while Lopez gets fully up to speed with a couple of outings in the minors.
Two arms that could step in for Lopez
Depending on which direction the A's choose to go with Lopez at the start of the season, there are two main options for the A's to consider for that fifth spot in the rotation.
The first would be J.T. Ginn, who impressed over his first two innings of the spring, striking out the side against the San Francisco Giants in the first inning, before getting three ground balls to shortstop in the second.
Ginn, much like Luis Severino, pitched much better on the road than at home last season. He has the stuff to be successful in the big leagues, and if he continues throwing the ball like he did in that first outing, it would be difficult to leave him off the Opening Day roster.
The second option would be Jack Perkins, who could end up as a starting pitcher or a relief pitcher this spring. There is still a little time to decide which direction he ends up going in, though the A's would prefer to keep him as a starter, where he's more valuable, if possible.
After struggling in his first outing, he shut down the Texas Rangers yesterday, going two scoreless innings without allowing a hit or a walk and striking out one. The A's will have options to consider, which also includes just building up Lopez on the side.
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.
Follow byjasonb