4:45 p.m.: The A’s placed Severino on the 15-day IL with a right shoulder strain. The right hand Michael Kelly called to take his place on the list. Kelly broke camp with the team but was optioned to Triple-A in early April.
8:52am: Luis Severino threw just 23 pitches in a career inning in the Athletics’ 8-2 loss to the Yankees on Friday. While the second title was still heating up, Severino was visited by the team’s coach and ended up leaving the club due to what the A’s declared was a slap on the arm.
The issue bothered Severino last week, as the right-hander told MLB.com’s Martin Gallegos and other reporters that he exited his May 21 start with triceps stiffness. After Tuesday’s bullpen session went well, the A’s still opted to push Severino’s next start to Friday to provide more rest for the rest of the team on Thursday.
For now, though, it looks like Severino will need 15 days of IL to fully recover. No decision has been made yet, as Severino will undergo further tests today to further assess the problem. “A very big one [concern] for me it is not my next start. Finds something that will keep me going for a long time,” Severino said.If the worst case scenario is missing a start or two, I’m happy with that.”
Following the weekend series with New York, the A’s have another day off on Monday before playing nine games in nine days. The team won’t have to deal with Severino’s next charge in the rotation until Thursday, but it looks like the A’s will be re-entering their rotation depth chart after the loss already. Aaron Civale on the injured list (with shoulder tendinitis) earlier this week.
Gallegos hints at that hope Late Morris he could be called up to Triple-A to make his MLB debut, if the Athletics need a starter to fill in for Severino. Morris is not on the 40-man roster, of course Joey Estes or Mason Barnett can get a call if program considerations are a factor. Luis Morales he’s also a 40-man pitcher but has been moved to a relief role in Triple-A as the right-hander has continued to struggle.
The A’s are still 1.5 games out of first place in the AL West and the AL wild card slot, however that has more to do with American League parity than it does with the Athletics’ modest 27-30 record. As expected going into this season, the Athletics are under heavy scrutiny, even though the team’s composition has been fair rather than elite. OA got good results Jeffrey Springs, JT GinnCivale, and Severino on the move, though naturally more is expected from Severino given the three-year, $67MM free agent contract he signed through the 2024-25 offseason.
Severino’s second year in West Sacramento saw the right-hander improve his ERA to 4.16 and his strikeout rate to 24%, although his 11.4% walk rate is the second-highest of his 11 Major League seasons. Severino was very public about his displeasure last year with the jump to Sutter Health Park, and his home/away split continues to be very different. In 2026, Severino has a 3.38 ERA over 37 1/3 innings on the road, and a 5.33 ERA over 25 1/3 innings at home.
