Athletics place JT Ginn on IL with elbow inflammation

Not a good sign for the young pitcher

The A’s made a roster move prior to Saturday afternoon’s game against the White Sox, placing starting pitcher JT Ginn on the 15-day IL with right elbow inflammation, with left-hander Jacob Lopez taking his spot on the active roster:

This comes as a surprise as there was no indication that Ginn wasn’t fully healthy. Ginn is a survivor of the dreaded Tommy John surgery which he underwent all the way back in 2020, so this type of injury is definitely cause for concern. We don’t yet know how long Ginn will be down for but it’s unlikely we will see him back with the club anytime soon.

The rookie right-hander began the year in Triple-A where he made two impressive starts for the Aviators. With fellow righty Joey Estes struggling with the big league team the organization decided to not wait around to make the swap. Ginn came up and immediately provided more stability at the back of the rotation. The 26-year old has made three starts for the Athletics this season, pitching to a 4.61 ERA through 13 ²⁄₃ frames so far. He only managed to pitch 3 ²⁄₃ innings in his most recent start against the Rangers but he was already at 71 pitches and was getting hit hard. It’s now fair to assume Ginn was feeling something wrong in his elbow, hence the poor outing and early hook.

Taking Ginn’s spot on the roster for now will be lefty Jacob Lopez. Acquired this offseason alongside today’s starting pitcher Jeffrey Springs, Lopez has already bounced back and forth between the big league squad and Triple-A. He’s been a reliever for the Athletics so far this year but has experience as a starting pitcher in the minor leagues. He’s made three relief appearances for the big league squad already this year but has also made two starts with the Aviators. He could go multiple innings if and when the team asks him to.

It’s unclear right now how the A’s plan to fill Ginn’s spot in the starting rotation. Lopez could be an option as he’s gotten off to a solid start in Triple-A and majors combined. The team could also turn to Estes again though he hasn’t looked great in Triple-A (9 ER in 15 ²⁄₃ IP) since his demotion. Fellow prospect Gunnar Hoglund has a 2.92 ERA through his first six starts in Triple-A and is a former 1st-round pick. Or the team could turn to right-hander Mitch Spence, though they’ve elected to keep him in the bullpen up to this point and he’s likely not stretched out to where he’d need to be. We should be finding out more about the plans for the rotation in the coming days but overall this isn’t good news for Ginn or the Athletics.