On Sunday the Athletics placed left-hander Sean Manaea on the disabled list due to a shoulder impingement. On Tuesday, the news got worse:
Rotator cuff tendinitis for Manaea. Melvin said the team hopes to get him back but said it’ll be a while. Unsure if he’s back this season. Another huge blow.
— Julian McWilliams (@JulianMack105) August 28, 2018
Manaea gives the A's an entire rotation on the DL, as he joins Paul Blackburn, Jharel Cotton, Daniel Gossett, and Andrew Triggs on the shelf. That figure doesn't include Kendall Graveman or top prospect A.J. Puk, both out for the season due to Tommy John surgery.
Though the A's have struggled to keep their starters healthy, they're nonetheless likely to find themselves in the Wild Card Game with a rotation that includes Trevor Cahill, Mike Fiers, Edwin Jackson, and Chris Bassitt. (Brett Anderson also landed on the DL on Tuesday, which means Bassitt is sticking for the time being.)
Bassitt, for his part, has shown himself to be a capable big-league arm. In 35 career appearances, he has a 99 ERA+ and 1.93 strikeout-to-walk ratio. He's unlikely to pitch as well as Manaea -- who has a 113 ERA+ for the season -- but he'll suffice as a back-end starter.
Nonetheless, the A's must hope that Manaea is able to return at some point this season -- otherwise they'll have to turn elsewhere for their Wild Card Game starter.
