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A’s News: Jharel Cotton Makes His Return

By Joey Lopez

May 9, 2017; Oakland, CA, USA; Oakland Athletics starting pitcher Jharel Cotton (45) during the first inning against the Los Angeles Angels at Oakland Coliseum. Mandatory Credit: Stan Szeto-USA TODAY Sports
May 9, 2017; Oakland, CA, USA; Oakland Athletics starting pitcher Jharel Cotton (45) during the first inning against the Los Angeles Angels at Oakland Coliseum. Mandatory Credit: Stan Szeto-USA TODAY Sports /
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The A’s will welcome back Jharel Cotton on Saturday afternoon in New York. Meanwhile, the team’s concern with Kendall Graveman and Jesse Hahn has grown.

The A’s have made several changes to their starting rotation. With Kendall Graveman out with a sore shoulder, the A’s went with Sean Manaea on Friday night.

Despite the change, the A’s still managed to capture a win in New York. Manaea chipped in seven brilliant innings of work in Oakland’s 4-1 win over the Yankees. Jharel Cotton, who was sent down earlier this month to Triple-A, will start on Saturday.

Cotton, 25, went 2-0 with a 2.25 ERA in Nashville. He looks ready to rebound from a rather inconsistent start to the season.

In his first seven starts this season, Cotton went 3-4 with a 5.68 ERA. Walks were an issue for Cotton to start the year, with 16 free passes being issued in just 38 innings.

The extra time in Triple-A should benefit Cotton in his return to the big leagues. If he can find better consistency with his pitches, especially with his changeup, Cotton could be an impact player for the A’s.

Injury bug bites the A’s once again.

Losing Graveman for any extended period of time is not great news. The A’s do have some depth with Cotton’s return to the rotation, but it will still be a tough loss if the A’s lose Graveman to a trip to DL.

If Graveman does hit the DL, it would be his second time this season. The A’s lost Graveman for 10 games earlier in the year thanks to a shoulder strain.

In addition to Graveman, the A’s face the possibility of losing Jesse Hahn.

Hahn, who has been a solid contributor this year, experienced a strained triceps. Like Graveman, Hahn did not join the team in New York.

The A’s have been hit hard in recent years with tough injuries and 2017 is shaping up to be no different. The team has depth, but it wasn’t expecting to be tested this early on in the season.