Gage Jump's Fastest Realistic Path to the A's Rotation

There are a couple of ways that A's No. 3 prospect Gage Jump could be part of the A's rotation within the next few weeks, and with the team looking to make the postseason for the first time since 2020, they're going to make that call when they feel he's ready.

As we mentioned in our mailbag earlier this week, Jump could ascend to the big leagues quickly like Mason Miller in 2023. That season he made two starts, showed the front office he had nothing left to prove in the minors, and then was promoted to the big leagues. Jump could follow a similar route, though this year's club isn't going to lead the bigs in losses like the 2023 squad, either.

That could mean that there may be less of an opportunity to just push his way up. That said, here are the quickest paths to the big leagues for Jump.

The most obvious way

Injuries are a part of the game, and this is the path of least resistance for Jump to get the call. Following the season he had in 2025 and what he's shown this spring, which includes a 1.86 ERA across 9 2/3 innings of work, he could be at, or near the top of the A's internal depth chart in the starting rotation. He certainly has the most upside of the options.

If one of the members of the rotation went down, even as early as April, that could be the opening that Jump is looking for.

Part of the thought process here would have to be how the left-hander has performed to that point, and also how long the injured player is expected to be out. A longer-term injury may make the A's more likely to promote Jump at that juncture, rather than one that would last a couple of weeks and likely lead to him being optioned back down to Triple-A.

Performance-based issue

This one is a little more complicated, but is also another option that the A's may have to consider. The club signed Aaron Civale as a veteran presence in the rotation, though we're unsure of what the expectations are for him over the course of the season. It could just be to provide roughly league average innings until Jump is ready.

When that happens, maybe they move Civale to the bullpen as a long-man. The way the roster is likely to come together, a long reliever is not something that the A's are likely to have on the 26-man squad, unless the plan is to use Luis Medina for multiple frames.

Medina is also an interesting piece of this puzzle. He's recovering from Tommy John and hasn't pitched in the big leagues since 2024 due to the injury, but he's also out of options and throwing 99 coming out of the bullpen. It's a new role for Medina and he's relatively unproven in the bigs, but he's likely to make the Opening Day roster for at least a trial period.

If he struggles, the A's may not have a choice but to try and sneak him through waivers. That would open up a spot for both Civale in the bullpen, and Jump in the rotation.

The other option would be to option one of the other relief pitchers that has option years remaining to clear a spot for Civale.

Of course, the A's could also do the same thing with Jump, placing him in the bullpen to start, giving him a taste of the big leagues when he's ready, but there's no space in the rotation just yet. It would be similar to how they used Jack Perkins last season in order to get his feet wet at the big-league level.

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