SB Nation - Tyson Ross

Rich Harden, Brandon McCarthy & Tyson Ross Continue Rehab Process

David Fucillo — Wed, 15 Jun 2011 00:51:19 -0000

The Oakland Athletics have dealt with numerous injuries over the past few month, culminating with Brett Anderson's arm issue that has him set on a six week rehab process. While Anderson is only just beginning his rehabilitation, three other A's pitchers find themselves further along in the process, meaning a banged up pitching staff could have reinforcements on the way. Brandon McCarthy, Tyson Ross and Rich Harden are all throwing off the mound and well on their way to rehabilitation assignments in the coming days and weeks.

Brandon McCarthy and Tyson Ross got injured within a day of each other and fittingly enough each threw a bullpen session on Tuesday. McCarthy is dealing with a stress reaction in his pitching shoulder, while Ross is dealing with a left oblique strain. The A's have not specified a schedule for rehab assignments, but for now it sounds like things went well in the bullpen sessions. If they are feeling fine in the coming days, we could see McCarthy and Ross headed to either Stockton or Sacramento by early next week.

Rich Harden may actually be a bit closer to getting in some rehab innings as he will throw a simulated game on Wednesday. If all goes well on Wednesday, it sounds like Harden will be sent off on a rehab assignment. Harden went down with a shoulder injury early in spring training and has yet to throw minor or major league innings in 2011. The A's signed him to a simple one year deal and it was basically a cheap option with some upside.

Harden surprised nobody when he went down with an injury. However, if he can get sufficiently healthy, he could bring an intriguing option to either the bullpen or starting rotation. The A's do not appear to have specified where he'll slot in, although if Graham Godfrey struggles some more, it might mean a spot in the rotation. However, a rotation spot would require stretching Harden out given his lack of activity. It's entirely possible he starts his rehab assignment before McCarthy and Ross, but ends it after them.

Oakland Athletics Tyson Ross Replacement Options

David Fucillo — Fri, 20 May 2011 13:00:53 -0000

The Oakland Athletics suffered a tough loss on Thursday as starting pitcher Tyson Ross had to exit the game with a left oblique strain after facing two batters. Oblique strains are tricky injuries that often require several weeks of rehabilitation. Even if Ross does not end up with a long DL stay, his next scheduled start this coming Tuesday May 24 against the Angels is likely to require a replacement.

The A's have some solid pitching talent at the AAA level and will likely dip into that pool of pitchers to replace Ross while he recovers. Over at Athletics Nation, the discussion has already begun as to who would/should replace Ross. The primary candidates listed are Josh Outman, Guillermo Moscoso and Graham Godfrey. Bobby Cramer would have been a very realistic option but he was recently placed on the AAA disabled list with his own oblique strain.

Of the three listed, Godfrey is pitching the best with a solid K/BB ratio and generally solid numbers. However, unlike the other pitchers, he is not on the 40-man roster at this point. If the A's wanted to bring them up, they would have to DFA one of their current 40-man roster players, or find a 15-day DL'd player to move to the 60-day DL.

Outman is the guy the A's would probably love to see breaking through right now given his return from Tommy John surgery. However, he is struggling a bit with his control at AAA and the A's probably want to see him settle down a bit before calling him back up to the big leagues. As for Moscoso, he was acquired in a minor league trade this past offseason and is already on the 40-man roster so he has that going for him.

The FanPost above had one intriguing additional option in mentioning Armando Galarraga. The formerly almost perfect pitcher was recently designated for assignment by the Arizona Diamondbacks and will likely clear waivers due to a $2.3 million price tag. The A's would either need to trade for him or hope the Diamondbacks cut him loose, but either way Oakland would need to find room on the 40-man roster.

At this point, those would seem to be the A's primary options, with Galarraga being a much longer shot and more of a creative option. We'll find out more in the next few days. The A's have a few days to make a roster move so I'd imagine they'll hold off until they're absolutely positive on Ross' status going forward.

In the meantime, Ross had a few words about the injury following Thursday's game:

Oakland Athletics Starting Pitcher Power Rankings Through April

David Fucillo — Wed, 04 May 2011 18:27:36 -0000

The Oakland Athletics currently lead Major League Baseball in team ERA and also team starting pitcher ERA by a wide margin. Although the A's bullpen has been taxed while awaiting the return of Andrew Bailey, the A's starters continue to put together impressive outings. Given the continued dominance by the A's pitching staff, it seemed fitting to try and rank these pitchers over the course of the season.

Although these are the first power rankings of the season, the rankings do not reflect entire year to date, but rather how they are currently performing.

Oakland A's Starting Pitcher 2011 Power Rankings, May 4

1. Trevor Cahill - There were concerns that Cahill received a lot of luck last year and he would show a quick regression to some mean. Instead he's settled into a nice groove and currently stands at 4-0 with a 1.88 ERA. Since giving up four runs in 4 2/3 innings, Cahill has given up two runs over his last 21 innings pitched. He is pitching extremely well right now.

2. Tyson Ross - During spring training, Ross lost out to Brandon McCarthy in the battle for the fifth spot. When Dallas Braden went down with a shoulder injury, Ross got his second chance. After struggling in his first start, he has since given up one run in 13 1/3 innings over two starts. As is to be expected, he has received a pair of no-decisions in those two starts courtesy of crummy offense. While he is not the best pitcher in the rotation, he is pitching incredibly well right now.

3. Brett Anderson - He was shellacked in his last outing, giving up seven earned runs over five innings. However, this is one guy who will get my subjective benefit of the doubt. It was his first truly bad performance of the year against a solid offense. If he struggles in his next start against Cleveland I might be more inclined to drop him further.

4. Gio Gonzalez - Gonzalez started off extremely hot but has cooled down a bit over his last few starts. He managed to snap a two-game losing streak in his last start as he went 6 2/3 innings and gave up two runs. He struggled a bit early on with walks, but he has brought those totals down a bit over his last three starts.

5. Brandon McCarthy - While McCarthy struggled two starts ago against the Angels, he's quietly been a solid fourth starter for the A's. Even when he gives up a lot of hits and four or five or more runs in a game, he somehow still gets past at least five innings thanks to otherwise efficient work. He received a no-decision in his last start but kept the A's in striking distance before Hideki Matsui won it with a walk-off in the tenth.

Out of Rankings: Dallas Braden - Unfortunately Braden suffered a bit of a setback in his throwing session on Monday and is planning a second visit to Dr. Lewis Yocum to look it over. Given how this is developing, I can't imagine he's back before June at the very earliest.