The Oakland Athletics are set to face off against the Chicago Cubs this afternoon. First pitch is scheduled for 1:05 pm PST.
Athletics' outfielder Miguel Andujar was in the original lineup posted by the A's Twitter account earlier this morning but a revised lineup card was submitted with Andujar absent. According to Athletics' manager Mark Kotsay, Andujar is dealing with calf soreness. The injury isn't presumed to be severe.
Andujar has been on fire so far this spring. He's posted a .406/.424/.813 slash line with 4 home runs, 13 RBI, and a steal to boot. When the A's signed him earlier this offseason expectations were low, and few fans expected that he'd become an impact player again.
Andujar hasn't been healthy and good at the same time since 2018. He seemed to have started to recapture some of that success this spring and A's fans were starting to think of him as a potential every day player in Oakland in 2024.
Best case scenario is that this is just a fluke one-off thing where Andujar needs a quick day off and jumps back into the lineup tomorrow. We'll see if we get any updated news before the end of the day.
Today's updated lineup vs. Chicago (NL) - March 14, 2024 at Sloan Park pic.twitter.com/iXNBh2bAay
— Oakland A's Communications (@AthleticsPR) March 14, 2024
Elsewhere, lefty JP Sears is set to make his fourth start of the spring. He's looked strong in his 8 innings thus far, posting a 1.13 ERA with 12 strikeouts and just one walk. Sears will be a vital piece of the Athletics rotation this summer and will look to exceed his career high 172.1 innings that he set in 2023.
Prior to Andujar's removal, today's lineup had the makings of a regular season matchup. Esteury Ruiz and JJ Bleday will work the outfield with Brent Rooker. Ryan Noda and Zack Gelof man the right side of the infield, while Darell Hernaiz and Abraham Toro work the left. Carlos Perez gets the last minute start at DH due to Andujar's absence.
The Cubs counter with the recently acquired Japanese lefty Shota Imanaga. He's had mixed results this spring, posting a 40% strikeout rate to go along with an 8.44 ERA. The lefty has 6 unique pitches that have gotten him excellent results in NPB, Japan's professional league.
His 4-seamer sits in the low 90's, so it's not elite velocity. He also throws a slider, curveball, changeup, cutter, and a splitter. He'll look to work all six of them this afternoon and keep Athletics hitters on their toes.