Kade Morris gets the call for his MLB debut, drawing Tatsuya Imai (2-3, 5.52) in a Saturday matinee with the A's already down a game in this series. Morris, a 24-year-old righty acquired from the Mets in the 2024 Paul Blackburn deal, made 30 starts for Triple-A Las Vegas over the last year — a 4.92 ERA in 159 innings isn't going to wow anybody, but the A's rotation is held together with duct tape right now.
That duct tape is the real story on the visiting side. Luis Severino is out 4-to-6 weeks with a shoulder capsule and subscapularis strain, Aaron Civale is only just starting a throwing progression, and Gunnar Hoglund is done for the year after hip surgery. Hence the debut. Morris doesn't have to be great — he just has to keep the A's in it long enough for a lineup missing Jacob Wilson and Max Muncy to scrape something together.
- Day-To-DayLeo De Vries SS — De Vries went 3-for-5 with two solo home runs Sunday for Double-A Midland.
- 10-Day-ILMax Muncy 3B — Muncy (hand) will serve as the designated hitter for Triple-A Las Vegas on Saturday, Martin Gallegos of MLB.com reports.
- 10-Day-ILJacob Wilson SS — Wilson (shoulder) has been ramping up his baseball activities and could begin a rehab assignment next week, Martin Gallegos of MLB.com reports.
- 15-Day-ILAaron Civale SP — Civale (shoulder) began a throwing progression Monday, Martin Gallegos of MLB.com reports.
- 15-Day-ILLuis Severino SP — The Athletics announced Tuesday that Severino has been diagnosed with a strain of his right shoulder capsule and subscapularis muscle and will be re-evaluated in 4-to-6 weeks, Martin Gallegos of MLB.com reports.
- 60-Day-ILBrooks Kriske RP — Kriske (shoulder) will be shut down from throwing for at least three weeks, Jason Burke of SI.com reports.
- 60-Day-ILDenzel Clarke CF — Clarke (hamstring) will receive a platelet-rich plasma injection Tuesday, Martin Gallegos of MLB.com reports.
- 60-Day-ILGunnar Hoglund SP — Hoglund (knee/back) will be sidelined for the rest of the 2026 season after undergoing surgery on his left hip Monday.
- Day-To-DayWalker Janek C — Double-A Corpus Christi placed Janek on its 7-day injured list Sunday due to an unspecified injury.
- 10-Day-ILYainer Diaz C — Diaz (oblique) has been hitting, throwing and catching bullpen sessions during workouts this week and is close to heading out on a rehab assignment, MLB.com reports.
- 10-Day-ILBraden Shewmake SS — Shewmake (groin) is not in the lineup for Sunday's game against the Brewers, Matt Kawahara of the Houston Chronicle reports.
- 15-Day-ILBennett Sousa RP — The Astros announced Friday that Sousa (elbow) has begun a throwing progression, Chandler Rome of The Athletic reports.
- 15-Day-ILLance McCullers Jr. SP — The Astros announced Friday that McCullers (shoulder) began a throwing progression, Chandler Rome of The Athletic reports.
- 60-Day-ILHunter Brown SP — Astros manager Joe Espada told reporters Friday that the team is weighing its options on whether Brown (shoulder) will need one more rehab assignment before being reinstated from the 60-day injured list, Brian McTaggart of MLB.com reports.
- 60-Day-ILBrandon Walter SP — The Astros announced Friday that Walter (elbow) is in the midst of a throwing progression at the team's complex in West Palm Beach, Fla., Chandler Rome of The Athletic reports.
- 60-Day-ILCristian Javier SP — Javier (shoulder) recorded two outs -- both via strikeout -- and was charged with two earned runs on two hits and two walks in a rehab start Wednesday with Double-A Corpus Christi.
Imai is the wild card in the other dugout. The 28-year-old Japanese import was a disaster early (1-2, 8.31 through his first 5 starts), then flipped the switch on May 25 with a combined no-hitter against the Rangers, getting 16 straight outs before the bullpen took over. His last time out he went 6 innings of 2-run ball against Milwaukee and still took the L. The stuff is there; the results have been a coin flip.
Both clubs are under .500 and bleeding from the rotation — Houston is still waiting on Hunter Brown, Lance McCullers Jr., Cristian Javier, Ronel Blanco, and Hayden Wesneski to get back, and Carlos Correa just had ankle surgery. This isn't 2022 Astros baseball. It's a banged-up division-leading-by-default group taking advantage of an opponent they should beat at home.
The market sees it close — Astros -112 on the moneyline with a total of 9.5, which feels honest given the variance baked into a debut start. If Morris has a feel for his stuff early, the A's are live as a dog. If he doesn't, this gets ugly fast. Either way, you're finding out who Kade Morris is before dinner.