A's May Add Rookie to Rotation Coming Out of the Break

The Athletics entered the break going 6-5 in the month of July, and they're going to be looking to keep that momentum going on the other side of the break. These final 64 games are going to be about the A's looking for who will be on the roster next season, and in what capacity.

The A's also optioned right-hander Mitch Spence on July 10, a day after his final start against Atlanta, and while the team called up Osvaldo Bido in his place, it's unclear if that was to fill his role on the club. Manager Mark Kotsay said that Bido's arrival was to provide length for the bullpen to help them finish off the first half of the schedule.

As for Spence, he feels there is still some room for growth from the right-hander. "I think there's still areas he can really make adjustments that will improve him as he continues to develop as a starter. The biggest thing is really getting that fastball, that sinker command. When you're a two pitch guy, you saw [against Atlanta] the approach is to get the cutter up and stay on it to right center. It needs to be a weapon for him."

Those comments make it sound as though Spence isn't down in Triple-A for a quick stint to provide some length for the bullpen, but may be down there for a couple of starts to really work on some things. That also means that his spot in the rotation hasn't been filled. The A's are fond of Spence, and are using this time to allow him to work on that growth they feel is ahead of him.

Given that the second half will be about finding their group for next season while still looking to build upon the momentum they've started over the past month, there is one move that could make sense for them that wouldn't require making a transaction, but would fill that fifth spot in the rotation--adding No. 7 prospect Jack Perkins into the starting five.

Perkins made his MLB debut out of the A's bullpen on June 22 and has largely been piggybacking as the relief option in JP Sears' starts, though the lefty has been more effective of late and has been going deeper into games on his own.

In four career outings, Perkins has totaled 9 2/3 innings while holding a 3.72 ERA, striking out 11 with three walks allowed, and earning two saves. His first two appearances were each three scoreless innings where he gave up a single hit in each, while he's been touched up just a little in his last two.

Still, he's the kind of guy that the A's may want to get a look at in the rotation in the second half to see what they have in him--particularly at this level and in Sacramento--before next season.

With that being the thought process, Athletics on SI asked Kotsay about the potential inclusion of Perkins in the starting rotation coming out of the break, given that there's an opening.

"We'll look at that. There's Perk, there's Ginn, obviously Bido is back in the bullpen, so we have some options as to what we want to do...So yeah, there's definitely an opportunity for someone to step in and give them that five spot."

The one concern that the organization could have would be keeping him healthy, and he could end up going the Mason Miller path and serving as a pretty good leverage arm as he matures. That said, it's likely they'll at least give him an opportunity as a starter before making that call. Perkins is the kind of pitcher that could have an impact on the roster's construction for 2026--no matter where's he's ultimately used.

It would be wise to give him a shot as a starter so that the A's know whether or not that can be an option for both him and themselves next season. They'll have plenty of arms vying for spots in the rotation, from Gage Jump to Luis Morales, and potentially even first-rounder Jamie Arnold, so the time is now to start trying guys out in lower leverage scenarios.