WEST SACRAMENTO -- An opening in the starting rotation is going to allow the Athletics to get a look at one of their promising young arms.
With Jacob Lopez officially landing on the 15-day injured list, the A’s called up right-hander Mason Barnett from Triple-A Las Vegas ahead of Tuesday night’s game against the Tigers at Sutter Health Park. Rated the club’s No. 11 prospect by MLB Pipeline, Barnett was available out of the bullpen as a long reliever.
“For Mason, it’s a big day for him,” manager Mark Kotsay said. “It’s exciting. … He’s made every start this year. That says something about the durability.”
Listed at 6-foot and 218 pounds, Barnett has indeed proven to be a sturdy presence on the mound. Acquired at the 2024 Trade Deadline from the Royals as part of the return for reliever Lucas Erceg, the 24-year-old leads the Pacific Coast League in games started (23), while his 119 innings in 25 total games for Las Vegas rank second.
Barnett’s overall season has been a mixed bag. His high-90s fastball has led to plenty of strikeouts, averaging 9.38 strikeouts per nine innings. His walk rate, however, also remains somewhat high at 4.92 per nine innings. For the season, Barnett is 6-2 with a 6.13 ERA in what is his first year at Triple-A.
“The numbers aren’t great, but he was pitching in the [Pacific Coast League], which doesn’t tend to lead to pitchers doing great,” Kotsay said. “But a big fastball. We’ve got him here, and we’re going to assess where we think we can make adjustments with him.”
The plan to utilize Barnett will be similar to the path followed by fellow A’s rookies such as Jack Perkins, J.T. Ginn and Luis Morales, all of whom performed multi-inning relief roles upon getting called up to the big leagues before later moving into the rotation. Whether Barnett shifts into the rotation himself will likely be performance-based.
“He’s got a four-pitch mix,” Kotsay said. “He’s a power-type arm that has the ability in short spurts to maximize the velocity. I’m excited for the opportunity to get to see him pitch in the big leagues for us.”
As for Lopez, losing him is an obvious tough blow. Acquired from Tampa Bay this offseason along with Jeffrey Springs, the 27-year-old left-hander has emerged as one of the top rookie pitchers in baseball. Entering his outing against the Mariners on Sunday, which ended early after he experienced left forearm tightness, Lopez’s 2.17 ERA since June 8 was the third-lowest in MLB over that stretch. For the season, he went into Sunday tied for second among Major League rookies in strikeouts (111), tied for fourth in wins (seven) and ranked fourth among all rookies with 81 or more innings pitched in ERA (3.28).
But considering the initial fears about a long-term injury, Lopez’s diagnosis of a Grade 1 flexor strain is about as encouraging an outcome as possible in this situation. It leaves the door open for a potential return before the end of the season, which Kotsay said he is optimistic about happening.
“For Jacob, it’s unfortunate, with as well as he’s been throwing the baseball,” Kotsay said. “But I think it’s the best of the news that we could be getting him back. We’re going to shut him down and give him some time. But there’s also maybe a chance to get him back at the end of the season, even if it’s an inning out of the bullpen.”