A's Option Jack Perkins After Rough Stretch

The Athletics decided to make a surprising rotation move before Friday's game in Seattle, optioning Jack Perkins to Triple-A Las Vegas and calling up Joey Estes to take his spot on the roster.

The interesting nugget here is that Perkins has been in the A's rotation since the beginning of June, and with so many injuries to the club, it seemed as though he'd finish out the year in that role, looking to solidify his spot in the rotation for next year.

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Perkins pitched on Thursday night, lasting just three innings before his pitch count and ineffectiveness caught up to him. The righty gave up four hits and three earned runs, walked five, and struck out seven in his quick outing. He has the stuff to be a successful starter in the big leagues, but walks and big innings have derailed his season. 

Following Thursday's outing, Perkins' ERA rose to 6.50 on the season to go along with a 1.54 WHIP. In 13 starts, his ERA sits at 7.67 in the rotation, compared to a more modest 4.76 as a relief pitcher earlier in the year. 

When Athletics Roundtable talked to Perkins at the end of August, his goal was to get back into the mindset of being able to trust his stuff again over the final month of the season. 

"The results have swayed my mind at times," Perkins said. "Like, I need to be more fine. I need to make a pitch, do something different. It's been this constant cycle of like tinkering rather than just truly investing and diving into the competitive mindset."

His goal for the final month is to rediscover that bulldog mentality that people attributed to him when he was coming up through the minors. 

Where Things Get Interesting

While Perkins wasn't able to go deep into Thursday's game — a pattern that's prompted roster moves in the past — this final month appears crucial for him to rediscover that piece of himself that he's looking for. 

On Friday, Mark Kotsay also mentioned pregame that part of the reason for the move was to add length to the bullpen (with Estes) in case they needed to fill innings. Estes has a 6.88 ERA across 19 minor-league starts this season. Injuries are pushing any available arms to the big leagues at this point in the season. 

He also said J.T. Ginn will be evaluated on Saturday with the team orthopedist. 

"You always want guys to finish the season," Kotsay said. "But we need to make the right decision for him going forward." That would make it sound as though his season could be over if the meeting with the team orthopedist doesn't go well. 

If that is the case and Ginn ends up on the IL on Saturday, Perkins could be recalled immediately, which would take care of one of the vacant rotation spots. Of course, the club could always go with Estes and Kade Morris in the rotation to give them looks down the stretch, but Kotsay said that Morris may need more seasoning in the minors. 

He was more glowing about Perkins, whom they're working with to throw more competitive strikes down the stretch.

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