NEW YORK (AP) – Oakland pitcher Kendall Graveman was scratched from his start at Yankee Stadium on Friday night and likely is headed to the disabled list along with fellow Athletics right-hander Jesse Hahn.
Manager Bob Melvin said both have ailing shoulders – further injuries to add to a long list of them already this season for the low-budget, ever-changing club.
Left-hander Sean Manaea, who missed three weeks with a strained left shoulder before returning May 15, moved up a day and took Graveman’s place Friday. Right-hander Jharel Cotton, demoted to the minors on May 11, will be recalled from Triple-A Nashville and start Saturday.
Oakland ace Sonny Gray missed the first month with a lat strain, and reliever Sean Doolittle hasn’t pitched since April due to a strained left shoulder.
“It’s happened to basically everybody,” Melvin said, citing Andrew Triggs as the healthy exception. “It doesn’t help things.”
First baseman Yonder Alonso missed his second straight start because of a sore right wrist, an injury sustained when hit by a pitch from Miami’s Jarlin Garcia on Tuesday. Hahn left his start that night one batter into the third inning because of a triceps strain.
Graveman, Oakland’s opening-day starter, made three outings, went to the DL from April 15-27 with a strained right shoulder, then returned to make five more. He is 2-2 with 3.83 ERA.
“When he threw bullpen, it didn’t feel right and just didn’t want to push it any farther,” Melvin said. “This DL is going to take longer, if indeed he goes on the DL. … Any time this happens for a second, you want to be a little bit more careful with it.”
Melvin expects Alonso to not start Saturday against left-hander CC Sabathia, then return to the lineup Sunday. Alonso has 13 homers and 30 RBIs despite missing last weekend’s four-game series against Boston because of a sore left knee. He hit off a tee Friday.
“We’re treating this kind of like when you roll your ankle, where it gets better by the hour,” Alonso said. “Definitely sensitive, obviously.”
Cotton traveled from Nashville on Friday and arrived at Yankee Stadium after a 90-minute bus ride from LaGuardia Airport. He will be making his first appearance at Yankee Stadium.
A 25-year-old right-hander, Cotton made his big league debut last September and was 2-0 with a 2.15 ERA in five starts. He slumped to a 3-4 record and a 5.68 ERA before he was optioned to Nashville on May 11.
“Any time you come to the big leagues like he did last year, you have a lot of success, and then teams start to make adjustments to you,” Melvin said.
Cotton was 2-0 with a 2.25 ERA in a pair of minor league starts, striking out 13 and walking one in 12 innings. He worked on mixing his pitches and throwing inside, which he thinks may help set up in changeup.
“I think right now I have the confidence to go out there and pitch and help the ballclub,” Cotton said.
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