The Athletics outrighted Jefferies (elbow) to Triple-A Las Vegas on Monday.
Oakland removed Jefferies from the 60-day injured list last week, but it was strictly a procedural move while the team weighed whether or not to tender him a contract for the 2023 season ahead of Friday's deadline. Given that Jefferies underwent the second Tommy John surgery of his career back in September and had turned in poor ratios (5.75 ERA, 1.35 WHIP and 9.5 K-BB%) over his 56.1 innings in the big leagues, it likely wasn't a tough decision for the Athletics to remove him from their 40-man roster. He'll stick in the organization and while he spends the entire 2023 season rehabbing from elbow surgery.
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Athletics' Daulton Jefferies: Gets cast off Monday
Rotowire
Jefferies had his cast removed Monday and is now using a brace that allows for adjustable range of motion on his surgically repaired elbow, the Associated Press reports.
Jefferies underwent the second Tommy John surgery of his career Sept. 9 and appears to be making good early progress. The right-hander has been through the gauntlet health-wise in 2022, as he also underwent thoracic outlet syndrome surgery in June. Jefferies is expected to miss all of next season, at minimum, and his prognosis for 2024 remains firmly up in the air since he has a long way to go in his recovery.
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Athletics' Daulton Jefferies: Gets Tommy John surgery
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Matt Kawahara of the San Francisco Chronicle reports that Jefferies underwent Tommy John surgery Friday to repair UCL damage in his right elbow.
The Tommy John procedure is the second of Jefferies' career; he previously had the reconstructive elbow surgery in 2017. The elbow surgery comes just three months after he underwent thoracic outlet syndrome surgery, and the cumulative effects of the two procedures in quick succession cast significant doubt about his future. At a minimum, Jefferies will be sidelined for the 2023 season, and he may not be a safe bet to receive full clearance for spring training in 2024. The 27-year-old could be a non-tender candidate this winter.
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Athletics' Daulton Jefferies: Done for season
Rotowire
Jefferies (thoracic outlet syndrome) won't return this season, Matt Kawahara of the San Francisco Chronicle reports.
He had thoracic outlet syndrome surgery Monday, which included the removal of his first rib. Jefferies' entire pro career has been altered by consistent arm injuries, and while he has made it back from Tommy John surgery, this next challenge could be even tougher.
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Athletics' Daulton Jefferies: Requires surgery
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Jefferies will undergo surgery to address his thoracic outlet syndrome, Matt Kawahara of the San Francisco Chronicle reports.
Jefferies received a second opinion Tuesday after being diagnosed with thoracic outlet syndrome, and he'll ultimately require a procedure. The Athletics won't provide an update on the right-hander's status until after he undergoes surgery Monday, but the procedure often carries a recovery timetable of several months. While it's possible that Jefferies will be cleared for game action in the final few weeks of the season, it wouldn't be surprising to see the team exercise caution with his rehab process since Oakland is unlikely to be in playoff contention late in the year.
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Athletics' Daulton Jefferies: Getting second opinion
Rotowire
Jefferies will visit Dr. Gregory Pearl on Tuesday in Dallas to get a second opinion on his thoracic outlet syndrome diagnosis, Martin Gallegos of MLB.com reports.
If the diagnosis is confirmed, we likely won't see Jefferies pitch again until 2023. Durability has been a major issue for him throughout his career, and he registered a 5.72 ERA, 1.37 WHIP and 28 strikeouts in 39.1 innings this season.
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Athletics' Daulton Jefferies: Cleared to play catch
Rotowire
Athletics manager Mark Kotsay said Jefferies (arm) played catch Wednesday, Matt Kawahara of the San Francisco Chronicle reports.
Jefferies has yet to receive a second opinion regarding whether he'll require thoracic outlet syndrome surgery to address the irritation he had been experiencing in his right arm, but the Athletics' willingness to have him start throwing again suggests that he's at least made some progress since being placed on the injured list May 20. Even if he ends up avoiding surgery, Jefferies could require a lengthy buildup program that will likely include multiple minor-league rehab starts, so he shouldn't be expected to rejoin the Oakland rotation anytime soon.
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Athletics' Daulton Jefferies: Moves to 60-day IL
Rotowire
Jefferies (arm) was transferred from the 15-day injured list to the 60-day injured list Sunday, Matt Kawahara of the San Francisco Chronicle reports.
The 26-year-old landed on the 15-day IL last week with right arm nerve irritation, but shortly thereafter he was diagnosed with thoracic outlet syndrome. Jefferies was headed to receive a second opinion, and the shift to the 60-day IL appears to confirm the injury. It remains unclear whether or not the right-hander will require surgery to address the issue, but he'll be unavailable for the foreseeable future regardless.
Jefferies was diagnosed with thoracic outlet syndrome Friday, Matt Kawahara of the San Francisco Chronicle reports.
Jefferies will receive a second opinion after receiving his diagnosis, but it's possible the issue will force him to spend more than the minimum of 15 days on the IL. A better idea of the right-hander's status will likely come based on the results of his second diagnosis, but it's possible that he'll require surgery to address the issue. Zach Logue should be in the mix to claim a rotation spot, and it's possible he'll serve as a long-term starter if Jefferies ultimately undergoes a procedure.
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Athletics' Daulton Jefferies: Dealing with biceps tightness
Rotowire
Jefferies (1-7) is experiencing biceps tightness and is undergoing an MRI after Wednesday's start against the Twins, Martin Gallegos of MLB.com reports. He took the loss after surrendering six runs on seven hits with five strikeouts and three walks across four innings.
It's the seventh straight loss for the young right-hander, and the bigger news is that he's now managing an arm injury. The specifics of the injury remain unclear, but Jefferies availability going forward is now in question, and it wouldn't be a major surprise if he ends up on the injured list.
Jefferies (1-6) took the loss during Friday's 2-0 defeat at the hands of the Angels, allowing two runs on five hits with four strikeouts in six innings.
Despite posting his second quality start, Jefferies was saddled with the loss as Oakland failed to score. The 26-year-old was tagged for both runs the second time through Los Angeles' lineup and impressively retired the heart of the order during his sixth and final frame. He'll look to get back in the win column against Minnesota next week.
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Athletics' Daulton Jefferies: Knocked around in loss
Rotowire
Jefferies (1-4) allowed six runs on 11 hits while striking out four over five innings to take the loss against Tampa Bay on Monday.
Jefferies was constantly in trouble in the outing, allowing at least one run in all but one of the five frames in which he pitched. The right-handed hurler opened the campaign with a win but has since taken four straight losses, and he has given up 11 earned runs over his past nine innings. He'll try to right the ship his next time out.
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Athletics' Daulton Jefferies: Surrenders five runs
Rotowire
Jefferies (1-3) took the loss during Tuesday's 8-2 defeat at the hands of the Giants, allowing five runs on four hits and two walks with three strikeouts in four innings.
All the damage came in the second and third innings, with Wilmer Flores being the main the main thorn in Jefferies' side, knocking in four of the five runs. The 26-year-old has now alternated strong and poor performances and can't be trusted until he shows more consistency. He's tentatively slated to take the hill next against the Rays on Monday.
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Athletics' Daulton Jefferies: Takes loss despite strong effort
Rotowire
Jefferies (1-2) allowed one run (none earned) on three hits and no walks while striking out five across six innings to take the loss Wednesday against Baltimore.
Jefferies stated the game with a scoreless four innings, though he allowed a leadoff double in the fifth frame to Ryan McKenna. McKenna came around to score one batter later due to an error by Elvis Andrus. Otherwise, Jefferies held Baltimore in check, generating eight flyball outs while also racking up 13 swinging strikes on 83 total pitches. Jefferies has maintained a 1.17 ERA across 15.1 frames this season, though he has only nine strikeouts and has benefited from an 89.7 left-on-base percentage.
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Athletics' Daulton Jefferies: Downed by Jays
Rotowire
Jefferies (1-1) took the loss Friday, allowing two runs on seven hits and a walk over 4.1 innings as the A's fell 4-1 to the Blue Jays. He struck out two.
The right-hander worked with runners in scoring position in each of the first four innings Friday, and while Jefferies was able to minimize the damage, a sluggish Oakland offense still left him on the hook for the loss. The 26-year-old has a sharp 1.93 ERA through his first 9.1 innings this season, but his 1.29 WHIP and 4:3 K:BB suggest that mark won't be that impressive for long. Jefferies lines up to toe the rubber at home against the Orioles next week.
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Athletics' Daulton Jefferies: Tosses five scoreless frames
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Jefferies (1-0) yielded two hits and two walks over five shutout innings Sunday, striking out two and earning a win over the Phillies.
Jefferies was very efficient Sunday, needing just 48 pitches (30 strikes) to get through five frames. He notched just four whiffs and has now registered 11 strikeouts across 22 career MLB innings. The 26-year-old righty is lined up for a tough matchup in Toronto next week.
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Athletics' Daulton Jefferies: Set to start Sunday
Rotowire
Jefferies lines up to start the third game of the season Sunday against the Phillies, Matt Kawahara of the San Francisco Chronicle reports.
The 26-year-old had a 10.45 ERA over three appearances during spring training but will still open the season in the starting rotation with James Kaprielian (shoulder) sidelined and Sean Manaea shipped to San Diego. Jefferies made only one start in five big-league appearances last year but pitched well with a 3.60 ERA, 1.00 WHIP and 8:4 K:BB over 15 innings.
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Athletics' Daulton Jefferies: Uneven in first two spring starts
Rotowire
Jefferies has allowed eight runs (seven earned) on 11 hits over 5.2 innings in his first two Cactus League outings while also recording six strikeouts.
As those numbers and the .379 average Jefferies has allowed in the sample indicate, the young right-hander has pitched to no shortage of meaningful contact. However, Martin Gallegos of MLB.com reports that Jefferies' sinker was particularly impressive in Saturday's outing against the Guardians, sitting consistently between 94 and 96 mph while being deployed on 36 of his 54 pitches. The 26-year-old, who's projected for a spot on the back end of the starting rotation to open the season, is satisfied with where he is at this point in his ramp-up, despite the crooked numbers. "I feel like everything is pretty consistent," Jefferies said. "Velo is there. I'm ramping up pretty well. I can go out there and pitch with confidence knowing that my arm is going to feel good. That hadn't been the case in 2018 and 2019."
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Athletics' Daulton Jefferies: Fully healed
Rotowire
Jefferies is fully healed from the flexor strain that ended his 2021 season, Martin Gallegos of MLB.com reports.
Jefferies is competing for one of the back-end rotation slots for the A's, though that slot could move up depending on whether the A's trade another frontline starter like Frankie Montas or Sean Manaea. That said, even if Jefferies is healthy now, he has to be considered an injury risk given his historical injury issues.
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Athletics' Daulton Jefferies: Dealing with flexor strain
Rotowire
Jefferies will be sidelined the next 2-to-3 weeks with a flexor strain in his right elbow, which rules him out for the rest of the regular season, Shayna Rubin of The San Jose Mercury News reports.
There's only a week and a half left in the regular season, so the A's will need to make the playoffs for Jefferies to have any chance of pitching again in 2021. Oakland is currently on the outside looking in for an AL Wild Card by multiple games, so there's a real chance his campaign is over. Regardless, he'll finish the regular season with a 3.60 ERA, 1.00 WHIP and 8:4 K:BB across 15 innings.
