A's top prospect Jesús Luzardo goes down with shoulder injury, what happens now?
TOKYO — Jesús Luzardo's chances of making the Opening Day rotation are officially over.
The A's electric young left-hander has been diagnosed with a rotator cuff strain in his left shoulder. Luzardo will be shut down 4-6 weeks. From that point, the A's hope is that he would be fully recovered and ready to build his arm back up in the minor leagues.
Luzardo had been feeling the soreness over the past week, but finally gave in during a side session down in Arizona Monday. He informed the club of the discomfort Tuesday and was sent for an MRI in Scottsdale where the diagnosis was made.
Luzardo, 21, was expected to pitch in the A's upcoming Bay Bridge Series games against the San Francisco Giants with a potential Opening Day rotation spot on the line. The injury now likely puts Aaron Brooks in position as the favorite for the fifth starter job, though fellow right-hander Chris Bassitt is also still in the mix.
The Cactus League numbers were brilliant for Luzardo. He compiled a 0.93 ERA in four games with 15 strikeouts and four walks while holding opposing batters to a .176 batting average over 9 2/3 innings of work.
In a way, the injury is something Melvin said could turn out to be a benefit for Luzardo if it is not too serious. Being out for the first month of the season allows him a break. With Luzardo likely on a strict innings limit for this season, the lefty could return and be able to pitch into September should the A's find themselves in another playoff run.
The A's expect Brett Anderson to start Sunday's game against the Giants wtih Frankie Montas following him out of the bullpen. They will utilize an all-bullpen game Monday and go with some combination of Brooks and Bassitt on Tuesday.