The Oakland A’s placed pitcher Jesse Hahn on the 10-day disabled list, the team announced Saturday. The injury is a triceps strain, which knocked him out of his last start on Tuesday. To replace him, the A’s recalled Jharel Cotton from Triple-A Nashville.
Hahn is in the midst of a bounce-back after a lost 2016. His ERA is only slightly better than average, but his 2.78 FIP is third-best among all MLB starters. In particular, he’s allowed just one home run in nine games. His MRI showed no structural damage (via insider Jane Lee), and the hope is he’ll return after the minimum 10-day absence (via Susan Slusser, S.F. Chronicle).
Hahn, 2017: 3.81 ERA, 49⅔ ip, 41 Ks, 18 BB, 1 HR, 2.78 FIP
Meanwhile, Cotton was sent back to Triple-A a couple weeks ago, partly because he was struggling and partly because he was the odd man out between six healthy starters. He was sharp in a pair of starts in the minors, and now he’ll already get his next chance in Oakland.
Cotton, 2017: 5.68 ERA, 38 ip, 35 Ks, 16 BB, 6 HR, 4.57 FIP
Cotton worked on mixing his pitches and pounding hitters inside more. Thinks that can make his changeup more effective.
— Joe Stiglich (@JoeStiglichNBCS) May 26, 2017
This is the 15th time the A’s have used the disabled list this season, and the 10th since Opening Day. The next one is probably coming soon, too — Kendall Graveman was scratched from his start on Friday with a flareup of his previous shoulder problem (via John Hickey, Mercury News), and the inside reporters say he might go on the DL Sunday.
10-day DL: RHP Jesse Hahn, LHP Sean Doolittle, RHP Ryan Dull, RHP Bobby Wahl
60-day DL: RHP Chris Bassitt, SS Marcus Semien, OF Jake Smolinski
Notables on AAA DL: C Bruce Maxwell
With Cotton in Oakland, the next most obvious rotation candidate in Nashville appears to be Daniel Mengden, who recently returned from the DL himself (foot surgery).
Other options include Raul Alcantara, who got rocked in MLB earlier this year; prospects Paul Blackburn and Daniel Gossett, who probably aren’t quite ready yet; and veteran fillers like Chris Smith and Michael Brady. Nashville also has Felix Doubront, who is off the DL after Tommy John recovery, but he is now a reliever. Of that group, Mengden and Blackburn are already on the 40-man roster.
