Former Yankees Prospect Makes Big Start For A's in Triple-A Title Game

The A's and Marlins Triple-A squads will face off for one game to see who has the best team in the land

Jul 5, 2023; Detroit, Michigan, USA; Oakland Athletics relief pitcher Ken Waldichuk (64) throws a pitch against the Detroit Tigers in the fourth inning at Comerica Park. Mandatory Credit: Lon Horwedel-Imagn Images | Lon Horwedel-Imagn Images

While the New York Yankees Triple-A affiliate won't be playing for the championship after Scranton Wilkes-Barre lost the decisive third game of their series to Jacksonville, there will be a familiar face on the bump when the Las Vegas Aviators take the field on Saturday.

Back in 2022, Ken Waldichuk climbed up to Triple-A with the Yankees, and after 11 starts with the club, he was traded to the Athletics as the centerpiece of the Frankie Montas/Lou Trivino deal. Fans in New York may be wondering why he's still in Triple-A, and it's because he's rehabbing after undergoing Tommy John surgery.

Following the 2023 campaign, he tried the non-surgical approach for his injury, but in May of 2024 he ended up needing Tommy John, which ended his year in '24, and has kept him from a big-league mound in 2025.

He made his initial return on June 22 in Stockton with the A's A Ball affiliate, and was quickly promoted to Las Vegas. With the Aviators, he has made 16 appearances (15 starts) while compiling an 8.65 ERA.

The stats overall haven't been great, but this is also the first time he's pitching in nearly two seasons. His batting average against sits at .301 on the year, while his WHIP is over two, at 2.06.

While he still holds a 6.75 ERA in four starts in September, his WHIP has gone down to 1.69, and he has struck out 22 batters in 16 innings of work, which is a step in the right direction.

Waldichuk has faced the Jacksonville Jumbo Shrimp one time, as a Yankees farmhand in 2022. In that outing he ended up with the loss after going five innings, allowing two hits, one earned run, three walks, and struck out seven. None of the batters he faced in 2022 are still with the club.

The lefty is still attempting to recover some of the velocity he had back in 2023 when he pitched for the A's. That season he was sitting 93.3 miles per hour with his fastball, and in his most recent outing he was down a tick at 92.3 on average. He did touch 94, however, which is trending in the right direction.

In that September 20 outing, Waldichuk was also using just three of his pitches—four-seamer, sweeper, and changeup—seemingly nixing his curveball and sinker for now. He also went just two innings in that appearance, so perhaps he was focusing on his three main offerings since he was working a shorter outing.

After being off of the A's roster for the past two seasons, the hope here is that the southpaw can continue to work back to where he was before the injury. With the Athletics improving at the big league level, they could certainly use him in the rotation, or potentially as a depth option to begin 2026 as he continues to work his way back.

First pitch for the Triple-A championship is scheduled for 7:05 p.m. (PT) from Las Vegas ballpark, so this will be a home game for the Pacific Coast League champs. The Jumbo Shrimp will be sending out right-hander Morgan McSweeney, a 28-year-old former Orioles draftee that put up a 2.21 ERA across 61 innings this season.