Athletics' Daulton Jefferies: Candidate for rotation vacancy

Jefferies is the leading candidate to fill the rotation vacancy created by Mike Fiers' (hip) placement on the injured list Friday, Martin Gallegos of MLB.com reports.

Jefferies has been a revelation this spring, as he's pitched to a 1.38 ERA, .149 BAA, 0.77 WHIP and 20:3 K:BB across 13 Cactus League frames over five appearances (three starts). The young right-hander has only one major-league start under his belt, but given his body of work this spring, he appears to have taken a significant step forward in his development. Matt Kawahara of the San Francisco Chronicle reports Fiers is expected to miss at least the first three regular-season series, meaning Jefferies would presumably get multiple opportunities to prove himself if he does secure the rotation spot.