This Sunday Start Against the Reds Could Reshape the A's Rotation
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Yesterday against the San Francisco Giants, one rotation hopeful in Luis Morales had a poor outing, lasting just 1 2/3 innings, giving up six hits and four earned runs, walking two and striking out two. His velocity remained down, but not as badly as in his first appearance of camp.
On Sunday, J.T. Ginn will be looking to build off an eye-opening first appearance of the spring, as he looks to continue making his own case for a spot in the A's Opening Day rotation. With Morales' early struggles and Jacob Lopez yet to make his spring debut, perhaps there could be an opening for Ginn when the A's head to Toronto.
Ginn, 26, went two frames in his first outing, striking out the side in the first inning, and then producing three ground balls to shortstop in the second. He faced the minimum of six batters in his two innings, and has been arguably the most dominant arm to take the ball for the A's this spring.
On Sunday he'll be facing off against a 4-3 Cincinnati Reds club in Mesa, facing a team that has zero history against him. This should be an interesting test for Ginn, who has shown flashes of being a solid pitcher at the big-league level, but is looking for some consistency in 2026. Another dominant performance on Sunday would set him up nicely for the next couple of weeks.
A's probable pitchers
In addition to Ginn, LHP Gage Jump, RHP Nick Anderson, RHP Joel Kuhnel, RHP Brooks Kriske, RHP Nick Hernandez and RHP Geoff Hartlieb are also scheduled to toe the rubber in Arizona on Sunday.
Anderson, Kuhnel, Kriske, Hernandez and Hartlieb are all non-roster invitees out of the bullpen that are looking to make an impression on the coaching staff this spring, either as a surprise addition to the Opening Day roster, or as a depth option for the club to consider later in the season.
Jump is one of the A's top prospects, ranking No. 3 behind Leo De Vries and Jamie Arnold, but like them is also ranked in the top-100 among MLB prospects, sitting at No. 57 on MLB Pipeline.
The left-hander made his first spring appearance against the San Francisco Giants last week in Scottsdale, giving up three hits and a walk which led to one earned run allowed in his inning of work.
The hope for Jump this season is that he starts off hot and continues the breakout that started last season in High-A and Double-A. He's expected to begin the year in Triple-A Las Vegas, and could be a member of the A's rotation himself in short order, if there's an opening, and if he's performing.
That's why these spring outings are important, because they'll be the impression he leaves on the coaching staff heading into 2026.
Reds probable pitchers
The Cincinnati Reds are expected to roll with some mix of LHP Andrew Abbott, RHP Emilio Pagán, RHP Tony Santillan, LHP Brock Burke, RHP Graham Ashcraft, RHP Connor Phillips, RHP Tejay Antone, RHP Zach Maxwell and RHP Luis Mey against the A's.
In his first start of the spring, Abbott was seemingly working on his curveball, throwing it 41% of the time after it had been used at a 15% clip last season. He threw 11 of them in total, getting two swings, one whiff, and three called strikes. His velocity was also down a tick to a tick and a half, which will be something to keep an eye on here.
Pagán, Santillan, Burke, Ashcraft and Phillips are all projected to be key pieces in the Reds bullpen according to Roster Resource, while Mey and Maxwell are on the 40-man roster, but are expected to begin the year in the minors.
Tejay Antone was selected by the Reds in the 2014 MLB Draft, and has been with the franchise since. He pitched in the big leagues in 2020, 2021, 2023 and 2024, though he needed a third career Tommy John surgery early in the 2024 campaign. He's on a minor-league deal, attempting to continue his dream.
The Reds also have new addition to the roster JJ Bleday, whom the A's designated for assignment this past winter. He had a breakout 2024 campaign, but struggled mightily both with the glove and the bat in 2025. He's likely to handle the larger side of a platoon in left field, facing the right-handers, while Dane Myers gets the lefties.
Sam Moll is also still a part of this club, though he's not expected to see playing time on Sunday. The A's traded Moll to the Reds in 2023 for right-hander Joe Boyle. The A's traded Boyle to the Tampa Bay Rays after the 2024 season in a deal that netted them both Jeffrey Springs and Jacob Lopez.
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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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