The Athletics have taken a few swing hits lately, with both Luis Severino again Aaron Civale hitting an injured knee, the former due to shoulder stress and the latter due to tendonitis of the right shoulder. According to Martín Gallegos of MLB.com, Civale has already started moving forward but the update on Severino is probably not that encouraging. Severino was diagnosed with a strain on the shoulder capsule and subscapularis muscle. You will be re-evaluated in four to six weeks.
Although Gallegos didn’t say exactly that, the implication seems to be that Severino will be shut down in the four to six week timeline. That timeline would put him very close to the All-Star break. Even if you are said to be healthy at the time, you will need some sort of recovery period before going on a conditioning assignment. In other words, he could be in IL in August.
It’s not a fair development for the club, or the pitcher. For the A’s, Severino has been a pillar of their rotation. The results were mixed, but Severino took the ball and gave them a chance to win. He signed a three-year, $67MM contract before the 2025 season and gave the club 29 starts last year with a 4.54 earned run average. This year, he made 12 more starts with a 4.16 ERA.
The club’s temporary home at Sutter Health Park, which is often the home of the Giants’ Triple-A club, was hitter-friendly and may have had an impact on Severino’s numbers. He had a 6.01 ERA at home last year and is 5.33 this year. On the road, he had a 3.02 ERA last year and is at 3.38 in 2026.
Maybe the home/road situation is oversimplified, because it’s not like he was ruling under fear. Since signing with the A’s, his 8.3% walk rate and 42% ground ball rate are close to average but his 19.4% strikeout rate is worse than par. He has a 4.20 FIP and 4.47 SIERA since signing with the team. Regardless, it’s not acceptable that the A’s will be looking to continue without Severino for several weeks.
For him personally, it could affect the status of his contract. Severino can opt out of his deal after the current campaign, moving away at $22MM. He was prone to a borderline decision, based on his respectable but unspectacular numbers. Having complained about the club’s facilities in the past, perhaps that would have made him opt out, but this injury may make that unlikely.
Back at the club, they did Gage Jump again Jeffrey Springs listed as their potential strikers for their next two games. JT Ginn it should follow on thursday. Despite the injuries to Severino and Civale, they chose Jacob Lopez today when they call Late Morris again Mason Barnett. Lopez has a 6.75 ERA this year, with subpar strikeout and walk rates of 15.6% and 13.6% respectively.
The club has yet to make any official announcements about other rotation spots. Morris and Barnett can start. José Suarez he is inexperienced but has been pitching two innings in his games since joining the team last month. Gunnar Hoglund he won’t be as fun as he just had season-ending hip surgery.
Since Civale has started throwing, maybe he will return to the top soon. If the A’s need another arm before he returns, they have one Chen Zhong-Ao Zhuang, Joey Estes again Luis Morales in a voluntary assignment, Lopez is now on his way to join that group.
The American League playoff race is wide open. Despite a 28-31 record, the A’s currently sit just half a game back of the Wild Card spot. If they manage to hang on to the race in July, they should be looking at the deadline, even if Severino will be back at the club by then.
Photo courtesy of Darren Yamashita, Imagn Images
