OAKLAND — Earlier this week, Daniel Gossett became the fourth A's starter to undergo Tommy John surgery this season. Now he begins the long road to recovery, typically between 12 and 14 months.
“This is all new,” Gossett said. “I've only missed a couple of starts in my whole professional career, and now it's going to be at least a year. ... It's going to be different, but I know that I've got the resources, the training staff, and fellow teammates that I can lean on.”
Added A's manager Bob Melvin: “Just talking to him today, it looked like he's in the right frame of mind and understanding of what he has to do. The rehab process can be arduous and sometimes lonely. But he's going to take it the right way. He's going to watch games and try to figure out how he can get better in the interim.”
Stay in the game with the latest updates on your beloved Bay Area and California sports teams! Sign up here for our All Access Daily newsletter.
Gossett, 25, will have teammates Kendall Graveman, Jharel Cotton, and A.J. Puk to help him during his rehab, as all have undergone the same procedure since March.
“Obviously it's never a good thing for this many guys to go down, but being able to having these guys as resources, I can talk to them and see how they were feeling – the mental stuff and the physical stuff,” Gossett said. “Kendall Graveman and I actually had it the same week, so we're going to be side by side through the whole thing. It's good to have those resources that I can use.”
Gossett went 0-3 with a 5.18 ERA in five starts before the injury. For his career, the right-hander is 4-14 with a 5.91 ERA.
--- Mark Canha was a late scratch Saturday night, due to illness. Ramon Laureano will replace him in center field. Melvin said Canha might be available off the bench.
Athletics
Find the latest Athletics news, highlights, analysis and more with NBC Sports Bay Area and California.
--- Jonathan Lucroy is back in the lineup after catching all 13 innings Friday night. Melvin said Lucroy will get Sunday off, with Josh Phegley filling in behind the plate.
--- Chad Pinder (left elbow laceration) will come off the DL when he is eligible Tuesday against the Dodgers.