James Kaprielian Could Be Ready to Begin Season in A's Rotation

At the beginning of camp, it looked as though Kaprielian may be a little behind in his throwing progression and wasn't a lock for the rotation, leaving the door open for one of the A's other starters to claim his spot in the interim. 

With Kap in the mix, the rotation likely shakes out with himself, Paul Blackburn, Shintaro Fujinami, Drew Rucinski, and one of the A's trade acquisitions, Ken Waldichuk or Kyle Muller. Muller is set to start Sunday's contest against the Milwaukee Brewers for his first spring action with his new club. 

If Kaprielian were to miss a start or two at the beginning of the season, both Waldichuk and Muller would be the frontrunners to be in the rotation, though Freddy Tarnok pitched a solid two frames in his first spring action on Saturday. After allowing a walk and a hit, Tarnok sat down the next six batters he faced, striking out two, and hitting 96 with his heater. 

Other rotation options include Adrián Martínez, who will be playing part of his games for Team Mexico in the World Baseball Classic, and Adam Oller, who feels reinvigorated for 2023. 

JP Sears, Saturday's stater, is another option, but he could fill more of a swingman role out of the bullpen with the departure of A.J. Puk a few weeks ago. 

There will be plenty of competition, and plenty of opportunities to be seized in A's camp this Spring.