WEST SACRAMENTO -- As one power arm left the Athletics, another joined them for his Major League debut.
With spots opening up on the Major League pitching staff in the aftermath of dealing flamethrowing closer Mason Miller and left-hander JP Sears to the Padres for a package headlined by teenage phenom Leo De Vries, the A’s filled one of those vacancies by calling up right-hander Luis Morales from Triple-A Las Vegas on Friday. Rated the club’s No. 3 prospect and the No. 80 overall prospect in baseball by MLB Pipeline, Morales joined the A’s at Sutter Health Park before their 5-1 victory over the D-backs.
“I dreamed about getting here by my third year [of pro ball],” Morales said before the game. “It gives me even more satisfaction that I was able to play in every league. I didn’t miss one. I played every league from the Dominican Summer League to Triple-A. Now, I’m excited to officially play in the big leagues when that time comes.”
Morales’ time came in the sixth inning.
Replacing starter Jacob Lopez, who earned the win after silencing Arizona across five scoreless innings with five strikeouts, Morales battled some command issues as he began his outing by allowing a double and a walk before inducing a much-needed double play off the bat of Blaze Alexander on a 95.2 mph fastball.
Though he allowed a run on a sacrifice fly in the seventh, Morales was solid in two innings of relief, allowing one run on three hits and a walk while flashing premium stuff with a fastball that maxed out at 97.8 mph.
“The stuff is really good,” said A’s catcher Shea Langeliers, who crushed his 19th home run of the year, a two-run drive in the first, and finished a triple shy of the cycle. “For him, it’s going to be a matter of being in the strike zone. … Obviously, first time pitching in the big leagues is nerve-wracking. I was telling him, ‘Get that first one out of the way, and now we get to go have some fun.’”
It has been a fast rise for Morales, who signed with the A’s out of Cuba during the 2023 international signing period. The 22-year-old began this season at Double-A Midland and earned a promotion to Triple-A Las Vegas on May 20. Between the two levels, Morales holds a 3.73 ERA in 23 games (14 starts), with 107 strikeouts and 35 walks over 89 1/3 innings.
“The journey that he’s been through, even though he’s a young man, today is a great day for him,” A’s manager Mark Kotsay said. “For him to come out of a country like Cuba, his path to get to the big leagues is probably a little different than most. Today is a really rewarding day.
“He’s earned this opportunity. He’s thrown the ball really well. It’s an accelerated path, but there’s a lot of confidence behind what he’s been able to do.”
In an effort to manage what is the largest workload of his young professional career, Morales shifted into a multi-inning bullpen role with Las Vegas on June 27. Over that time, he has posted a 2.00 ERA in nine appearances with 20 strikeouts and six walks across 18 innings.
Morales might not rev up the fastball quite like Miller -- few pitchers in baseball can -- but his heater is still an electric offering that can reach 99 mph. He also brings a plus slider and a changeup that has improved since joining the professional ranks.
"His fastball/slider combo is electric,” A’s Minor League pitching coordinator Mike McFerran said on A’s Cast in June. “It’s really low slot, it’s high-quality spin, and he throws it really hard. It just gets on hitters really quickly. … He’s learned that his fastball is going to beat hitters, so he’s really not worried about hitters beating him. He’s not afraid to attack hitters.”
Morales will begin his Major League career as a reliever, though Kotsay indicated there is a possibility for him to make a start or two before the end of the season. Morales is one of a few pitching prospects who the A’s believe could impact their starting rotation as early as next season. That group also includes A’s No. 2 prospect (MLB No. 63) Gage Jump, No. 5 prospect Braden Nett (acquired from San Diego in the Miller deal), No. 7 prospect Jack Perkins and left-hander Jamie Arnold, whom they selected 11th overall in this year’s MLB Draft and who is expected to rise quickly through the system.