James Kaprielian finally has surgery to fix troublesome shoulder

Oakland A’s pitcher James Kaprielian has been battling a troublesome right shoulder for some time now.

Back in 2021, he spent time on the Injured List with a shoulder impingement. Last year, he missed time at the beginning of the season due to an inflamed AC joint. While he was able to return in both cases, his shoulder certainly needed attention.

James Kaprielian may be able to take next step now

That finally happened recently. The A’s announced during the Winter Meetings that Kaprielian underwent surgery to repair his right AC joint. He is expected to be ready for spring training.

Those shoulder issues may have contributed to what was a disappointing overall performance for Kaprielian last season. He took a step backwards from his solid rookie campaign, posting a 4.23 ERA and a 1.343 WHiP in his 134 innings, striking out 98 batters with 59 walks.

He was a lot better over his final five starts. Despite missing time due to an issue with his middle finger, Kaprielian allowed just ten runs, seven earned, on 25 hits and eight walks, striking out 25 batters. That performance gives hope that he can be a solid middle of the rotation arm at minimum.

Being healthy will go a long way towards making that happen. Those shoulder woes may have kept him from being able to fulfill his potential in the A’s rotation. If his shoulder is healthy and he is ready to go by spring training, it is possible that he can build on that strong finish to the year and prove to be a building block for the future.

James Kaprielian has been battling shoulder issues for the past couple of years. Those problems may now be a thing of the past.