A's Activate, Option Ken Waldichuk

Athletics left-hander Ken Waldichuk has been on the rehab path all season following Tommy John surgery last year, with an expected timeline for his return typically hovering around this point in the season. While the A's activated Waldichuk from the 60-Day IL on Saturday, they also optioned him to Triple-A Las Vegas.

In looking into the data from his starts in Triple-A, it's not surprising that Waldichuk is being kept in the minor leagues for a little while longer. In last night's 6-5 loss for the Las Vegas Aviators, the lefty went 3 1/3 innings, giving up two hits and five walks, which led to two earned runs scoring. He also racked up five strikeouts on 75 pitches.

The 27-year-old has a 9.49 ERA in five starts with the Aviators and has walked 16 batters in 12 1/3 innings of work. After not pitching last season, seeing his command a little off at this point in the rehab process isn't terribly surprising. That happens when a pitcher is working their way back to the roster.

The main thing that the A's are waiting on, aside from his command to return, is for the velocity to tick back up. His velocity has always been below league average, and in 2023 he was sitting at 93.3. In other words, some pitches were coming in harder than that, while others came in below, but he was averaging 93.3.

Last night in Las Vegas he touched 93 but averaged 90.6. That's nearly three ticks below where he was sitting just two years ago. The one bit of potential good news is that Waldichuk typically starts off his outing throwing closer to where he wants to be in the first inning, which is when he touched 93, but in the second and subsequent frames that velo tends to dip.

On Friday, he came out hovering around 89 miles per hour, but ended the inning a little better in the 92 mph range. In the third he was sitting in the high-80's to low 90's.

Most of his starts have followed this trend, so this could mean that he just needs to keep at it and build up those muscles again in order to get back to where he was previously. If he wasn't able to reach 93 at all, that would be a bit concerning, but the fact that he's able to start there before dropping a bit makes it seem more rehab-related.

There has been some hope that Luis Medina would be able to return to the A's roster this season, though the more likely scenario has always been that he'd be ready in 2026. Waldichuk's minor velocity setback could be enough to give the A's pause in trying to get Morales ready in 2025 at all for one key reason.

While Waldichuk has options remaining and he's able to stay in the minor leagues while he continues to build up, Medina is out of options, so when the A's start his rehab assignment, he has to not only be added to the 40-man at the end of his 30-day rehab period, but also be added to the A's 26-man roster, or be subject to waivers.

If Medina needed a little extra time on his rehab assignment, the A's wouldn't be able to keep him in the minor leagues. What is more likely is that they continue to have him build up during the offseason, potentially as a relief pitcher where there may be more of an opening for him, and give him a full spring training to get ready to go. If they have to place him on waivers at that point, it will be more performance based than having their hands tied.

In order to make room for Waldichuk on the 40-man, the A's designated Jhonny Pereda for assignment.