Despite the 2-0 loss to the Tampa Bay Rays at Tropicana Park on Wednesday, Athletics manager Bob Melvin said Cole Irvin has made a strong case to keep his spot in the starting rotation.
Jesús Luzardo has struggled out of the gate in the 2021 MLB season, and now the talented southpaw has hit another roadblock.
The Athletics announced that Luzardo has been placed on the Injured List with a left hand fracture, and fellow southpaw Adam Kolarek was recalled from the team's alternate site in a corresponding move.
A's manager Bob Melvin said the 23-year-old pitcher suffered a hairline fracture on his left pinky finger while playing a video game.
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Melvin also added that the injury happened before Saturday's start, with the training staff determining he could pitch. After the game, X-rays revealed the hairline fracture.
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Luzardo allowed six runs (three earned) over just three innings in the A's 8-4 loss to the Baltimore Orioles.
In six starts this season, Luzardo is just 1-3 with a 5.79 ERA.
Luzardo had high expectations going into the 2021 campaign, and hopefully for the A's, he can recover quickly and get back to the form he showed in 2020, when he finished eighth in AL Rookie of the Year voting.
