Injuries & Moves: Miller diagnosed with UCL sprain
LATEST NEWS
May 16: RHP Mason Miller diagnosed with UCL sprain
After receiving a second opinion from Dr. Keith Meister on Tuesday, Miller was diagnosed with a sprain of his ulnar collateral ligament in his right elbow. The A's No. 2 prospect per MLB Pipeline will remain shut down from throwing until he is fully asymptomatic and there is currently no timetable for a return, though the A's expect him to pitch again at some point this season.
May 15: RHP Adrián Martínez reinstated from IL; RHP Zach Neal optioned to Triple-A
After making two rehab appearances with Triple-A Las Vegas, Martínez was reinstated from the 15-day injured list prior to Monday’s game against the D-backs and will be available to provide multiple innings out of the A’s bullpen.
Neal returns to Las Vegas after allowing three runs on four hits over two relief appearances with the A’s.
INJURY UPDATES
10-day and 15-day IL
RHP Mason Miller (right UCL sprain)
Expected return: TBD
Miller was diagnosed with a sprain of his ulnar collateral ligament in his right elbow. Miller will be shut down from throwing until he is asymptomatic and there is currently no timetable for his return, though the A's expect him to pitch again at some point this season. (Last updated: May 16)
RHP Paul Blackburn (right middle fingernail avulsion)
Expected return: TBD
Blackburn threw a side session May 11 and manager Mark Kotsay said the plan was for him to throw 45 pitches Sunday for Triple-A Las Vegas. Blackburn has spent the entire season on the injured list. (Last updated: May 11)
OF Seth Brown (left oblique)
Expected return: Mid-to-late May
Brown will begin a rehab assignment with Triple-A Las Vegas on May 13. Manager Mark Kotsay expects Brown to need about a week before possibly returning to the active roster. Brown sustained a Grade 2 left oblique strain during a check swing in the A's loss vs. the Rays on April 8, hitting the injured list two days later. He led Oakland in home runs (25) and RBIs (73) in 2022. (Last updated: May 11)
RHP Trevor May (anxiety-related issues)
Expected return: Late May
May began a Minor League rehab assignment with Triple-A Las Vegas on May 2. While the A's are encouraged by May's return to baseball, they do plan to work him back slowly into competition at a pace with which he feels comfortable before establishing a target date for his return to the big league club. (Last updated: May 2)
RHP Adrián Martínez (strained right elbow)
Expected return: TBD
MRI results on Martínez's elbow revealed some inflammation near his forearm area, but no structural damage. Martínez was shut down from throwing for five days beginning on the day he received the MRI (April 24), with A's manager Mark Kotsay saying the club will have a better idea as to when the right-hander could return once he begins throwing again. (Last updated: April 26)
60-day IL
C Manny Piña (left wrist inflammation)
Expected return: TBD
Piña was transferred to the 60-day injured list after being taken off his rehab assignment. Manager Mark Kotsay said the doctor’s evaluation was to stop baseball activity. Piña received a platelet-rich plasma injection and will need time to recover. (Last updated: May 11)
RHP Dany Jiménez (strained right shoulder)
Expected return: TBD
Jiménez was transferred from the 15-day injured list to the 60-day IL on April 19 with a right shoulder strain. The placement is retroactive to April 17. Manager Mark Kotsay said Jiménez will be shut down from throwing for "up to six weeks" and that there is no timetable for his return at this time. (Last updated: April 19)
RHP Daulton Jefferies (Tommy John surgery)
Expected return: Possibly late 2023
Jefferies, who was already out for the season after undergoing thoracic outlet syndrome surgery on June 13, received a tough setback as the club revealed he underwent Tommy John surgery on Sept. 9 with Dr. Neal ElAttrache in Los Angeles. A's head trainer Nick Paparesta said Jefferies is looking at a recovery time of about 16 months.
Though this marks the second time Jefferies has undergone the procedure -- he also underwent Tommy John surgery in 2017 -- Paparesta pointed to recent success stories of pitchers with two Tommy John surgeries such as Dodgers star Walker Buehler as a reason for optimism that Jefferies could make his way back to a Major League mound. (Last updated: Sept. 11)
RHP Freddy Tarnok (right arm discomfort)
Expected return: TBA
Tarnok, Oakland’s No. 7 prospect, came away from his outing against Team Colombia on March 8 feeling a tingling sensation in his right thumb and has not pitched since. The right-hander is shut down from throwing as he undergoes further diagnostic testing. The A's transferred him from the 15-day injured list to the 60 on April 13 to free up a roster spot after acquiring reliever Richard Lovelady. (Last updated: April 13)
LHP Kirby Snead (left shoulder strain)
Expected return: Late May
Snead came away from his Cactus League debut on Feb. 25 feeling discomfort and was diagnosed with a left shoulder strain. The A’s are shutting him down from throwing indefinitely -- placing him on the 60-day injured list -- as they will wait until he is discomfort-free before resuming baseball activity. "The general timelines are getting back to flat ground, back to sides, building him up and then going through a full Spring Training, really," manager Mark Kotsay said. "So that timeline kind of puts him toward the end of May." (Last updated: March 26)