A's promote Kade Morris after back-to-back strong Triple-A starts
Back-to-back sharp starts in Las Vegas pushed Kade Morris into Oakland's rotation mix, and the A's had to clear a 40-man spot to get the No. 12 prospect up.
The Athletics turned to Kade Morris because they needed innings now, not later. After Luis Severino went on the 15-day injured list with a right shoulder strain and Jacob Lopez was optioned to the minors, Oakland called up the 23-year-old right-hander from Triple-A Las Vegas on June 2 and had to fit him onto the 40-man roster to make the move work.
Morris earned the look with back-to-back strong starts that came at the exact moment the A’s rotation was being pulled apart by injuries. The No. 12 prospect in the organization had already logged a heavy workload in 2025, making nine starts at Double-A Midland and 19 more at Triple-A Las Vegas while going 9-10 with a 4.38 ERA and a .755 opponents OPS across 28 starts. He also led the Athletics’ farm system in games started and innings pitched, the sort of durability that matters when a big-league staff is scrambling for answers.
The call-up fit the arc of Morris’ development. Born in Modesto and raised through John H. Pitman High School in Turlock before pitching at the University of Nevada, Reno, he spent much of his college career in relief before moving into Nevada’s rotation full-time in 2023. MLB Pipeline has long viewed him as a starter in progress, grading his fastball around 50 to 55 and putting his overall outlook in the 40 to 45 range. The Mets drafted him in the third round in 2023 with the 101st overall pick before he eventually landed in the A’s system.
That background made the timing matter even more. Oakland was not just looking for a fresh arm; it was asking Morris to help cover a major league rotation vacancy created by Severino’s injury and Lopez’s demotion, while also testing whether one of its better upper-level arms could survive the jump. Morris made his major league debut on June 6, then was optioned back to Triple-A Las Vegas on June 9 when Joey Estes was recalled, a quick reminder of how rapidly the Athletics are cycling through pitching depth. For now, Morris remains part of the larger June shuffle, one that is forcing Oakland to lean hard on its top pitching prospects just to keep the rotation moving.
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