Sam

Long

Long has been great for the Royals in Triple-A, posting a 1.31 ERA and 1.06 WHIP in 20 2/3 innings, striking out 23 and walking five. He has produced good numbers at Triple-A before but has been unable to sustain MLB success. Perhaps this time will be different, but the 28-year-old will have a chance to pitch meaningful innings for the Royals out of the bullpen.

Long emerged as a solid bullpen option for the Giants back in 2022, posting a 3.61 ERA, 1.25 WHIP, and 33/14 K/BB ratio across 42 1/3 innings which included six starts and 22 relief appearances. He was unable to keep that momentum going last year in Oakland, registering a 5.60 ERA, 1.56 WHIP, and 32/21 K/BB ratio in 45 innings. Just 28 years old, Long had enjoyed success in the Giants minor league system, so he will be hoping to recapture some of that in another fresh start.

Long has been ousted from Oakland’s 40-man roster heading into the offseason after compiling a pedestrian 5.60 ERA, 1.56 WHIP and 32/21 K/BB ratio across 45 innings (40 appearances, one start) this season in the big leagues. The 28-year-old lefty will likely wind up electing free agency shortly and should be able to find a new opportunity somewhere else this offseason.

Long gave up four runs — three earned — in 1 2/3 innings last night. He’s made 40 appearances for the A’s on the year and amassed a 5.60 ERA and a 32/21 K/BB ratio in 45 innings.

The 28-year-old southpaw has already appeared in 38 games for the A’s this season — registering an underwhelming 5.27 ERA, 1.45 WHIP and a 32/18 K/BB ratio over 42 2/3 innings. He’s likely to be utilized in a middle relief role for the A’s.

Long heads back to the minors ahead of Saturday’s game against the Nationals. The 28-year-old southpaw has posted a lackluster 5.27 ERA, 1.45 WHIP and 32/18 K/BB ratio across 42 2/3 innings (38 appearances, one start) this season for Oakland.

Long will get the ball to kick off Friday’s series opener before handing the ball to right-hander Luis Medina for a bulk relief appearance. It’s obviously not an appealing streaming situation for fantasy managers.

The A’s would like for May to establish himself in the closer’s role, but this was a setback for him. For Long, this makes two saves in two days after he pitched a scoreless 10th on Saturday. That ties him with May and the long departed Jeurys Familia for the team lead with two saves. He’ll remain in the mix in the ninth for now, but that’s still probably not enough to make him worth a spot in shallow leagues.

Working with a one-run lead, Long stranded the automatic runner to get the A’s the win tonight. He’s sporting a 3.00 ERA in 24 innings of relief work since being picked up from the Giants. One wonders if Oakland might look to stretch him out and give him a chance as a starter later this season.

Long had been designated for assignment earlier in the week, so the Giants were happy to flip him for whatever they could get. The 27-year-old hurler logged 42 1/3 innings for the Giants during the 2022 season -- posting a respectable 3.61 ERA, 1.25 WHIP and a 33/14 K/BB ratio over 42 1/3 innings. He’ll add some much-needed pitching depth for the A’s.