The Athletics selected the rookie righty Luis Morales to Triple-A Las Vegas tonight, according to the MLB.com transaction log. OA left tonight and they haven’t officially announced what was done.
Martín Gallegos of MLB.com reports that release Joel Kuhnel will be selected from the big league roster tomorrow as a similar move. That would require a spot on the 40-man roster. That’s standard too Gunnar Hoglund (lumbar spine strain) is their only player on the injured list. They will transfer Hoglund to IL for 60 days or designate someone for assignment before their series opener in the Bronx.
Morales broke camp in the first five. The Cuban-born pitcher made a strong first appearance last season, working to a 3.14 earned run average over 48 2/3 innings. He was brutal when he turned twice in the first rotation this year. Morales allowed five runs in both appearances without ever completing five innings. His start against the Astros on Saturday was abysmal, as he walked six batters and allowed eight hits without recording a strikeout.
The 23-year-old will spend at least a few weeks in Triple-A in an effort to get better. Morales also struggled to find the strike zone this spring, issuing 14 walks in 19 innings. He was one of the A’s top prospects during his junior season. Morales sits in the 96-97 mph range and has four-pitch power that the A’s hope will lead to a future as a rotation starter.
OA will need to call the starters this weekend unless they plan to move JT Ginn from long relief back to circulation. They have announced that it will be so Aaron Civale, Luis Severino again Jeffrey Springs for their three-game set with the Yankees. Today’s day off means they can deliver on the idea Jacob Lopez return to regular rest on Friday for their series opener against the Mets. However, they will need a fifth starter on Saturday and will begin a 16-game hitting streak.
They’d probably prefer to give Lopez an extra day and bring up someone else to step into what would have been Morales’ chance on Friday. Mason Barnett, Joey Estes and hope Chen Zhong-Ao Zhuang they’re on the 40-man roster and working out of the Vegas rotation. Zhuang is scheduled to start tomorrow and is probably not considered for the MLB call.
Jack Perkinswho started four MLB games late last season, is 40 and has worked 2-3 inning stints in the bullpen in the minors. High hopes Gage Jump not yet on the roster but opened the season in the Triple-A rotation. He didn’t perform well in his first few games but managed to put together six innings of three-run ball with eight strikeouts. He threw 74 pitches yesterday and would have been rested if the A’s wanted to bring him up on Friday.
They will carry the ninth reliever for now. Kuhnel, 31, is returning to the big leagues for the first time since 2024. The 6’5″ righty worked 11 2/3 innings of two-run ball with 10 strikeouts as an undrafted rookie this spring. He did that in the minor leagues, striking out six of 10 batters he faced in three scoreless innings against Las Vegas.
Kuhnel adds a power arm to Mark Kotsay’s middle relief squad. He is primarily a smooth-sliding pitcher whose fastball tests around 96 mph on average. Kuhnel owns a 5.86 ERA with a 19% average strikeout rate and a 52% slugging percentage over 93 2/3 career innings. He’s out of options and needs to stick with the MLB roster or be designated for assignment.
