Medina (elbow) underwent successful Tommy John surgery Wednesday in Arlington, Texas, Jason Burke of SI.com reports.
Since the Tommy John surgery is the first known elbow procedure of Medina's career, he should have a good chance at returning to pitching in games in 12-to-14 months, provided he experiences no setbacks in the rehab process. The timing of the surgery nonetheless means that Medina will be sidelined through most, if not all, of the 2025 season. Medina turned in a 5.18 ERA and 1.58 WHIP in 40 innings over his eight starts with Oakland before being shut down with a right elbow sprain in mid-July and eventually going under the knife.
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Athletics' Luis Medina: Shifts to 60-day IL
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The Athletics transferred Medina (elbow) from the 15-day injured list to the 60-day IL on Friday.
The move comes with Medina scheduled to undergo season-ending Tommy John surgery Tuesday, and the procedure will likely keep the 25-year-old right-hander out for the 2025 campaign, too. Across his eight starts this season, Medina went 2-4 with a 5.18 ERA, 1.58 WHIP and 32:20 K:BB across 40 innings. The move makes room on Oakland's 40-man roster for infielder Darell Hernaiz (ankle), who was reinstated from the 60-day IL.
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Athletics' Luis Medina: Undergoing Tommy John surgery
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Medina (elbow) will undergo season-ending Tommy John surgery Aug. 6, Brent Maguire of MLB.com reports.
Medina has been sidelined since July 13 with a right elbow sprain and sought a second opinion Monday. After receiving feedback from Dr. Keith Meister, Medina has opted to treat his injury through surgery and will miss the rest of the 2024 season, and likely all of the 2025 campaign as well. Medina showed glimpses of effectiveness in the big-league rotation, but he'll end the 2024 season with a 5.18 ERA and 1.58 WHIP across 40 innings.
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Athletics' Luis Medina: Seeking second opinion on elbow
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Medina (elbow) will seek a second opinion on the UCL damage that's sidelined him since July 13, the Associated Press reports.
Manager Mark Kotsay noted Medina would miss "significant time" the day after the right-hander's placement on the IL. The right-hander is hoping he won't need surgery, but it may be unavoidable.
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Athletics' Luis Medina: Expected to miss 'significant time'
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Medina, who was placed on the injured list Saturday with a right elbow sprain, is expected to miss "significant time" according to manager Mark Kotsay, MLB.com reports.
Kotsay added the team will likely seek a second opinion on the elbow after the All-Star break, but Medina's absence looks as though it could stretch well into August, if not longer. For the time being, the right-hander is expected to be shut down from any throwing for multiple weeks.
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Athletics' Luis Medina: Hits IL with elbow sprain
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The Athletics placed Medina on the 15-day injured list Saturday with a right elbow sprain.
Medina allowed six earned runs in five innings during his latest start Thursday, and it's possible his elbow injury contributed to his poor performance. He'll remain sidelined until at least July 28, and Michel Otanez will come up from Triple-A Las Vegas to fill the open spot in Oakland's pitching staff.
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Athletics' Luis Medina: Coughs up six runs in loss
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Medina (2-4) took the loss against Boston on Thursday, allowing six runs on seven hits and two walks while striking out seven batters over five innings.
Medina fell behind 3-0 after one inning and then 5-0 after allowing a solo homer in each of the third and fourth frames. He ended his outing having tied a season-worst mark with six runs allowed despite recording a campaign-high seven punchouts. The poor performance stalled the momentum Medina had built up in allowing just two runs over 11 frames across his previous two starts.
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Athletics' Luis Medina: Cruises to second victory
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Medina (2-3) earned the win over Baltimore on Saturday, allowing one run on six hits and three walks while striking out three batters over five innings.
Oakland's offense decimated Baltimore pitching for 12 runs through three frames and for 19 runs overall, so Medina didn't have to deal with much stress in the outing. The right-hander notched only one 1-2-3 inning and needed 98 pitches to get through five frames, but he had plenty of cushion to work with and lasted just long enough to pick up his second victory of the campaign. Medina's 4.37 ERA on the season isn't very appealing, but he's built up some momentum by allowing just two runs across 11 frames over his past two starts.
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Athletics' Luis Medina: Covers six innings Sunday
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Medina allowed one run on four hits and three walks while striking out five over six innings Sunday against the Diamondbacks. He did not factor into the decision.
Medina was locked into a pitcher's duel with Brandon Pfaadt in this one. Medina held the Diamondbacks scoreless through three frames before Christian Walker was able to push the first run of the game across in the first on a base hit. That was the only major tally against Medina on the afternoon, as he completed two more scoreless frames and finished with his first quality start this season while needing just 86 pitches. Medina's stuff was clicking in this one, as his fastball was nearly touching triple digits and he registered an excellent 14 swinging strikes. Medina has struggled to find consistency, however, evidenced by his 4.80 ERA, 1.50 WHIP and 22:15 K:BB (30 innings). He's lined up for a tough matchup against the Orioles his next time on the mound this weekend.
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Athletics' Luis Medina: Takes loss in short start
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Medina (1-3) allowed four runs (three earned) on four hits and two walks while striking out four over three innings to take the loss Monday versus the Angels.
Medina labored through his three frames, requiring 79 pitches (45 strikes). This was his shortest outing of the season and the third time in five starts he's given up at least four runs. The right-hander is at a 5.25 ERA, 1.54 WHIP and 17:12 K:BB through 24 innings this season. Medina is projected to make his next start at Arizona.
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Athletics' Luis Medina: Grabs first win
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Medina (1-2) allowed one run on six hits and two walks while striking out three over 5.2 innings to earn the win Wednesday over the Royals.
Medina came up one out short of a quality start, exiting the game at 88 pitches (54 strikes). He's had two good outings and two poor starts since joining the Athletics' rotation at the start of June. The 25-year-old is now at a 4.71 ERA, 1.48 WHIP and 13:10 K:BB through 21 innings this season. With a weak offense to support him and a lack of dominant command, Medina offers minimal upside in fantasy outside of favorable matchups. He'll have one of those in his next start, which is projected to be on the road versus the Angels.
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Athletics' Luis Medina: Mediocre performance in defeat
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Medina (0-2) took the loss against Minnesota on Thursday, allowing four runs on eight hits and one walk while striking out three batters over five innings.
Medina had much better control after issuing five walks across 4.2 frames in his previous start, but his overall stat line wasn't significantly improved. The right-hander took his second straight loss Thursday, giving up a season-high eight hits while striking out just three batters. Medina looked great in his first start of the campaign June 2 against Atlanta with no earned runs allowed over 5.2 innings, but he's yielded 10 earned runs across 9.2 frames since.
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Athletics' Luis Medina: Can't find plate in loss
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Medina (0-1) took the loss Saturday, coughing up six runs on five hits and five walks over 4.2 innings as the A's fell 7-0 to the Blue Jays. He struck out one.
The right-hander had no margin for error with Kevin Gausman tossing a complete-game shutout for Toronto, but Medina had trouble finding the plate all afternoon, walking the bases loaded in the first inning to set up the Jays' first run and finally exiting having thrown only 45 of 84 pitches for strikes. Through his first two starts for Oakland this season, Medina has a 7:7 K:BB in 10.1 innings, but the team's lack of healthy arms should keep him in the rotation for now. He'll look to bounce back in his next outing, which lines up to come on the road next week in Minnesota.
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Athletics' Luis Medina: Excellent in debut
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Medina didn't factor into the decision Sunday against Atlanta, allowing one unearned run on two hits and two walks across 5.2 innings. He struck out six.
Medina didn't show any signs of rust in his first big-league start since 2023, yielding just two hits to Atlanta in almost six innings of work. He threw 89 pitches and didn't seem to have any limitations after missing the first two months of the campaign due to a Grade 2 MCL sprain. The lone run scored during Medina's time on the mound came in the first, when Marcell Ozuna advanced to second base on a passed ball before scoring via a Matt Olson single. The 24-year-old is lined up for a start during Oakland's three-game home series against the Blue Jays next weekend.
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Athletics' Luis Medina: Reinstated for Sunday's start
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Oakland activated Medina (knee) from the 60-day injured list ahead of his scheduled start in Sunday's game in Atlanta.
The 25-year-old has been sidelined for the first two months of 2024 due to a Grade 2 MCL sprain in his right knee, but he's ready to make his season debut Sunday in Atlanta. Medina built up to 72 pitches in his final rehab start with Triple-A Las Vegas on Tuesday and could face some workload limitations in his first outing or two in the big leagues. The right-hander posted a 5.42 ERA, 1.51 WHIP and 106:57 K:BB across 109.2 innings as a rookie in 2023.
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Athletics' Luis Medina: Expected to start Sunday
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Medina (knee) is slated to return from the 60-day injured list to start Sunday's series finale with Atlanta, Martin Gallegos of MLB.com reports.
Medina has missed the entirety of the 2024 campaign to this point while recovering from a Grade 2 MCL sprain in his right knee that he suffered March 4 at spring training. The 25-year-old made three starts during his minor-league rehab assignment, with the last two coming at Triple-A Las Vegas. In his final outing at Triple-A on Tuesday, Medina tossed 3.2 innings (72 pitches) while striking out six and giving up two earned runs on four hits and two walks. While he shouldn't face many limitations from a workload standpoint in his 2024 MLB debut, Medina isn't a recommended streaming option in a road game against one of baseball's top teams.
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Athletics' Luis Medina: Back with team, activation imminent
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Medina (knee) returned to the Athletics following his latest rehab start with Triple-A Las Vegas on Tuesday and could be activated during this weekend's series with Atlanta, MLB.com reports.
The right-hander has plunked four batters and pitched to plenty of contact on his rehab assignment, allowing 14 hits over eight innings, but Medina topped out at 100.2 mph and averaged 97 mph with his fastball in his Tuesday start. He then proceeded to throw a bullpen session prior to Thursday's extra-innings loss to the Rays, setting him up for activation at some point this weekend. Whether Medina will immediately slot into an injury-riddled Athletics rotation remains to be seen.
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Athletics' Luis Medina: Improves in latest rehab start
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Medina (knee) allowed two earned runs on four hits and two walks over 3.2 innings in Triple-A Las Vegas' win over Sugar Land on Tuesday. He struck out six and also hit two batters.
As his final line indicates, Medina's performance, which also included a balk, was a mixed bag, but it actually represented quite an improvement over his first two minor-league rehab outings. The right-hander worked up to 72 pitches, and both his innings pitched and strikeouts were new high-water marks for him during his rehab assignment. Medina may finally be starting to knock off some rust, but he'll likely be due for at least two more outings with the Aviators before activation is considered.
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Athletics' Luis Medina: Lit up in Vegas rehab start
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Medina (knee) started Triple-A Las Vegas' loss to Tacoma on Wednesday, allowing five earned runs on four hits, a walk, a wild pitch and a hit batsman over 2.1 innings. He struck out one.
Medina moved up from the Athletics' rookie-level AZL club after opening his rehab assignment there May 15, and as his line indicates, the results were far from encouraging. Medina had a similarly difficult time in his first rehab start against a much lower caliber of competition, so it's clear he has plenty of kinks to work out before a move to the big-league club can be considered. Given Wednesday's results, it remains to be seen if Medina will be shifted to a lower-level affiliate for his next rehab appearance in an effort to allow him to build some confidence and positive momentum.
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Athletics' Luis Medina: Struggles in rookie ball start
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Medina (knee) began a rehab assignment Wednesday in the rookie-level Arizona Complex League and was charged with six earned runs on six hits and zero walks while striking out three over two innings.
Though Medina didn't issue a walk in the first start of his rehab assignment, he didn't necessarily exhibit strong control, as he tossed two wild pitches and hit one of the 13 batters he faced. Some rustiness was to be expected from Medina, who hadn't pitched in a competitive setting since his March 4 Cactus League start before he went down with a Grade 2 MCL sprain of his right knee. He'll likely need three or four rehab starts to get fully stretched out, so he shouldn't be viewed as a realistic candidate to return from the 60-day injured list and join the Oakland rotation until around early-to-mid June.
