Oakland Athletics Brandon McCarthy hits DL

Oakland Athletics ace Brandon McCarthy came out of nowhere last season and was one of the top starters in baseball last year. He was worth 4.7 WAR, with his previous career-high being 1.4 WAR in 2009, his last MLB season with the Texas Rangers. In fact, McCarthy had his huge season in his first year with the A’s after never pitching a Major League inning in 2010.

McCarthy picked up right where he left off this season and has been worth 0.9 WAR in 58 innings with a 2.95 ERA and 3.64 FIP. He is projected to have a 3.53 ERA this year, and a reason for his success has been the two-seam fastball that has enabled him to induce more grounders than ever before.

The A’s, however, have been dealt a debilitating blow as the starter, who has always struggled with shoulder issues in his career, has been placed on the 15-day DL retroactive to the 18th of May with a strained right shoulder.

He has been dealing with shoulder issues so far this season, and he still started two games after having a previous start pushed back due to the injury. Either Graham Godfrey or Brad Peacock will replace him in the rotation, and I would honestly like to see Peacock get some starting reps. Some believe that Peacock is better suited as a reliever and isn’t a true starting pitcher in the MLB, so the A’s should see what they have in the former Washington Nationals top prospect.

In a corresponding move, the Oakland A’s have called up fellow right-hander Jim Miller from Triple-A Sacramento. He has appeared in six games this season before being demoted and has a 1.93/3.93/4.45 pitching triple slash in 9.1 innings this year.

Miller has pitched in just 24 MLB innings in his career, but he has pitched well in the minors. He is projected to have a 4.48 ERA in 51.2 MLB innings.

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