Sean Doolittle Headed to D.L., John Jaso Likely to Follow

Aug 23, 2014; Oakland, CA, USA; Oakland Athletics relief pitcher

(62) pitches the ball against the Los Angeles Angels during the ninth inning at O.co Coliseum. The Oakland Athletics defeated the Los Angeles Angels 2-1. Mandatory Credit: Kelley L Cox-USA TODAY Sports

In what started off as a day where the Athletics acquired catcher Geovany Soto and put in a waiver claim for Yunel Escobar, the Athletics have now been announcing some injury news. Per Susan Slusser, A’s closer Sean Doolittle is heading to the disabled list.

Dan Otero was just optioned to the minors to make room for Craig Gentry, and will now return to take the roster spot of Doolittle.

Slusser has also reported that the acquisition of Soto could be to add depth at the catching position. It was also announced today that John Jaso has been feeling he affects of a foul tip he took two weeks prior.

Adding more concern to this situation, is that Josh Donaldson will not be in Sunday’s starting lineup for precautionary reasons. Slusser has said that Donaldson, “lobbied to play” in tonight’s contest.

Who will close for the A’s in Sean Doolittle’s absence? Again, according to Slusser, Bob Melvin had this to say:

While Luke Gregerson is the likely option, he has struggled in the closer’s role this season, closing just 3 of the 9 games he entered. As a setup man, Gregerson has been fantastic. Gregerson has a 2.17 ERA this season, even with his struggles closing out games.

The A’s have two options if they don’t go with Gregerson. The first is Ryan Cook, who has a 3.02 ERA this season and has experience. The downside to Cook is he is inconsistent, and is 0 for 1 in save opportunities this season. The second option is Eric O’Flaherty. O’Flaherty has been used sparingly since returning from Tommy John surgery. In his limited work, O’Flaherty has compiled a 1.35 ERA in just 13 1/3 innings.