The Athletics optioned starting pitcher Mason Barnett to Triple-A Las Vegas following his start against the Kansas City Royals on Monday. In a corresponding move, the A's recalled right-hander Taylor Rashi, who they claimed off of waivers from the Minnesota Twins just over a week ago, to fill Barnett's spot. Barnett, 25, has bounced between Triple-A and MLB with the A's this season, and hasn't been especially impressive so far.
He made his debut with the A's in 2025 towards the back end of the season, and made five starts for the team while posting a 6.85 ERA. He served as a reliever for the A's to start the season, briefly stepping into a closer role in their revolving-door bullpen, but had to move back into the rotation after the A's' multitude of injuries. Through his 18 games this season, Barnett has a 7.08 ERA through 40.2 innings pitched and has struck out 38 batters.
Barnett's start against the Royals lasted just 2.2 innings Monday, as he allowed six runs on seven hits while issuing four walks. While the A's do play in a less-than-favorable pitching environment in Sacramento's Sutter Health Park, all of Barnett's underlying numbers show he has severely underperformed regardless of location. He is barely outperforming his 6.97 FIP, and is allowing extremely solid contact.
The A's' acquired Barnett, formerly a highly touted prospect in the organization, along with now World Series champion Will Klein from the Royals in 2024 at the trade deadline in exchange for closer Luke Erceg — who the Royals optioned to Triple-A on Tuesday. With yet another pitcher out of the picture for the A's, they'll have to find another arm to patch up their rotation. Barnett's turn in the rotation won't come until the weekend, which gives injured left-hander Jeffrey Springs plenty of time to make his return from the injured list.
Springs has struggled with injuries this season, but only went on the injured list for the first time at the beginning of August. Springs had a fantastic start to the season, but his ERA has since ballooned to 6.17—matching his career-high with 28 home runs allowed this season. With Springs yet to be reinstated, though, and Rashi in the bullpen, the A's will hope to use their expanded relief core to their advantage in the second game of a three-game series against the Royals on Tuesday at 4:40 p.m.
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