The A’s placed righty Daulton Jefferies on the 10-day injured list with right elbow ulnar neuritis and recalled southpaw Sam Moll to claim his roster spot, per the team. Jefferies was supposed to start Saturday, but the injury unfortunately delays his joining the rotation.
James Kaprielian, who was demoted to the bullpen in favor of Jefferies, will now step back into the rotation for his regular turn on the bump. Kaprielian will presumably need to turn around his performance quickly in order to make the most out of this second chance. The Athletics hopes that Chris Bassitt will be back in the rotation shortly, which could again send Kaprielian to the pen.
Kaprielian’s overall numbers this season are decent: He’s posted 1.3 rWAR/1.0 fWAR over 20 starts totaling 105 1/3 innings. Those numbers with his 4.02 ERA/4.46 FIP make for a serviceable rotation arm, if not one guaranteed innings on a first-division squad. Over his past eight starts, however, he’s been tagged for a 6.51 ERA/5.01 FIP, prompting the move to the bullpen.
As for Moll, he returns for his third stint in the majors this season. The 29-year-old Tennessee native has made just four appearances over his first couple of turns upstairs, but he’s done well in the short sample, keeping opponents scoreless over 4 2/3 innings.
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