Aug 3, 2025; West Sacramento, California, USA; Athletics pitcher Luis Severino (40) watches the game against the Arizona Diamondbacks during the fifth inning at Sutter Health Park. Mandatory Credit: Dennis Lee-Imagn Images Dennis Lee-Imagn Images

A's Starter Likely to Return to Rotation to Face St. Louis Cardinals

Originally posted on Oakland Athletics on SI
By Jason Burke | Last updated Aug 30, 2025 1:05 PM ET

Earlier this week, A's starter and the owner of the largest contract handed out in franchise history, Luis Severino, threw a sim game that included 50 pitches and saw him hit 97 miles per hour on the radar gun. Following the performance, A's manager Mark Kotsay said he looked great, and that the real test would be how he recovered the following day.

Well, things appear to be headed in the right direction. According to MLB.com's Martín Gallegos, Severino is scheduled to throw a bullpen on Saturday, and if all goes well, he should be in line to return to the A's rotation at some point during the A's upcoming series on the road against the St. Louis Cardinals.

Rosters are set to expand on Monday, going from 26 to 28, so he will presumably be added to the roster on Monday, but where exactly he'll slot into the rotation has not yet been announced.

Severino had an up and down first half of the 2025 campaign that largely followed his home and road games. On the season he holds a 6.34 ERA at Sutter Health Park, while on the road he's been much better with a 3.17. He finished with a 5.16 ERA overall in the first half, but was on a bit of a run since the All Star break.

Luis Severino's second-half surge

Benny Sieu-Imagn Images

He's been utilizing his fastball more often in the second half, and that has led to much better results--home or away--since the break. In four starts he went 4-0 with a 3.13 ERA and a 1.00 WHIP, seeing his strikeout rate go from 16% in the first half to 24.4% in the second. He's also lowered his walk rate, going from 7.5% to 6.7%, and batters are hitting just .213 against him in those four starts.

While we don't know precisely when Severino will be pitching for the Athletics, we can guess that it'll be either Monday or Tuesday, given how the rotation is currently constructed. With Mason Barnett set to make his MLB debut on Saturday against the Texas Rangers, he won't be pitching in this series. Neither will J.T. Ginn, who is the scheduled starter for Sunday's finale.

Rookie Luis Morales has been terrific since joining the A's, and tossed seven shutout innings against the Detroit Tigers on Wednesday. He's not going anywhere. That would leave Osvaldo Bido as the likely odd-man out. Monday would be Morales' regular turn in the rotation, and with Severino set to toss a bullpen on Saturday, we're likely looking at a Tuesday return for the veteran righty.

This article first appeared on Oakland Athletics on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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