The Athletics announced that they have activated right-handed pitcher James Kaprielian from the injured list, with fellow righty Adam Oller being optioned to make room on the active roster.
Selected by the Yankees with the 16th overall pick in the 2015 draft, Kaprielian was sent to Oakland in the deal that made Sonny Gray a Yankee. He made his MLB debut in 2020, getting a cup of coffee that last 3 2/3 innings. Last year, he was able to throw 119 1/3 innings with a 4.07 ERA, 24.5% strikeout rate and 8.2% walk rate. He spent some time on the IL with issues in his throwing shoulder and began this season on the shelf due to irritation in that shoulder again.
Over the offseason, the A’s shipped out a number of their veteran players, cutting costs and clearing the roster for cheaper players like Kaprielian. Tommy John surgery slowed his journey from through the minors, meaning that he now has just over one year of MLB service time. Now 28 years old, he won’t qualify for arbitration until after the 2023 season at the earliest. With Chris Bassitt and Sean Manaea having already been dealt and a Frankie Montas deal rumored to be next, pitchers like Kaprielian will be important for Oakland to build the rotation back up again. Other than Montas, the rotation currently consists of other pre-arbitration hurlers like Paul Blackburn, Daulton Jefferies and Cole Irvin.
Oller is also a part of that picture and will likely get another call to the bigs at some point. His first taste of MLB action didn’t go smoothly, however, as he has an ERA of 11.17 through his first 9 2/3 innings. Acquired in the Bassitt deal, he’ll head down to Triple-A Las Vegas and try to get some better results in preparation of the next big league opportunity.
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