The injury bug had caught up with Daulton Jefferies once again. He had been placed on the Injured List back at the beginning of May with what had been termed “nerve irritation” before he was diagnosed with thoracic outlet syndrome. While Jefferies sought a second opinion, the Oakland A’s transferred him to the 60 day IL as it was clear that he would not take the mound any time soon.
That time will now come in 2023. According to Matt Kawahara of the San Francisco Chronicle, Jefferies will undergo thoracic outlet syndrome surgery on Monday and is likely to miss the remainder of the season.
Daulton Jefferies becomes significant question mark for Oakland A’s
Jefferies had gotten out to a respectable start for the A’s this season. He had posted a 1.17 ERA and a 0.978 WHiP in 15.1 innings over his first three outings, striking out nine batters with three walks. While the strikeouts may have been somewhat disappointing, Jefferies looked like a solid enough back of the rotation arm.
Everything went awry in his last five outings before being sidelined. He posted an 8.63 ERA and a 1.625 WHiP over those 24 innings, issuing five walks with 19 strikeouts. While his FIP indicated that he pitched much better than the results, Jefferies kept getting hit and was unable to get the outs he needed.
This latest injury throws a wrench into the A’s plans. Jefferies was presumably a pitcher that the A’s were going to look to build around, a former first round pick who had the potential to develop into another Kyle Hendricks type of pitcher. The problem is that this procedure has produced spotty results at best, with more failures than success stories.
However, the A’s are going to take their time. He still has five more years of team control left, and his excellent peripheral numbers make him a perfect candidate to be a part of their next core. But it all depends on how he returns from his latest injury.
Daulton Jefferies will be lost for the season as he undergoes surgery for thoracic outlet syndrome. It is another chapter in his checkered medical history.