"A's right-hander has undergone surgery to address a herniated disc in his lower back, according to the MLB.com injury tracker. That obviously ends his season a month after he landed on the 15-day injured list. Estes had just been recalled from Triple-A Las Vegas a few days before suffering the injury. He tossed four scoreless innings out of the bullpen against the Mariners on August 24."
"Estes has occupied a 40-man roster spot since being called up at the tail end of 2023. He took the ball 25 times and logged 127 2/3 innings last year, but he posted an ERA above 5.00 with a modest 17% strikeout rate. Estes still has one minor league option year remaining. He's not a lock to hold his 40-man spot throughout the winter."
"Jacob Lopez has a much better chance of securing an Opening Day rotation spot. The 27-year-old southpaw has had a solid first season in Sacramento. The A's acquired Lopez as part of the offseason deal that sent hard-throwing righty to Tampa Bay. Lopez has fanned 28.3% of batters faced through 92 2/3 innings. While his 4.08 earned run average doesn't jump off the page, he carried a 3.28 mark into his most recent start on August 24."
Estes underwent surgery to repair a herniated disc in his lower back, ending his season a month after landing on the 15-day injured list. He was recalled from Triple-A Las Vegas days before the injury and threw four scoreless bullpen innings against the Mariners on August 24. The 23-year-old had one MLB appearance since April after two poor early starts led to an option. He made 17 Pacific Coast League starts with a 5.51 ERA over 80 innings. Drafted in 2019 and traded to Oakland, he occupies a 40-man roster spot but has one minor-league option remaining. Jacob Lopez has performed well in Sacramento and is likelier to earn an Opening Day rotation spot.
Read at MLB Trade Rumors
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