OAKLAND -- With Rich Hill still hampered by a blister on his throwing hand, the A's will call up right-hander Jesse Hahn to start Sunday against Tampa Bay.
Hill has played catch the past two days, but manager Bob Melvin said there still is no timetable for Hill to throw off the mound, which makes his next game also up in the air. Melvin did mention that, if Hill doesn't miss too much time, he's hopeful the lefty would require just one full bullpen session before being ready to return to the rotation.
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Hill is a prime trade candidate, perhaps the best starting pitcher available leading up to the Aug. 1 non-waiver trade deadline, but a recurring blister problem on his left middle finger leaves the status of any trade talks cloudy. It seems assured that at most he would make just one more start before the deadline.
Hahn, a regular member of the A's rotation last season, began this season in the minors after struggling during spring training. He’s made seven starts for Oakland this year, going 2-4 with a 6.49 ERA, but he’s spent the majority of the season with Triple-A Nashville, where he’s 1-5 with a 3.63 ERA over 12 starts.
“He’s been working on a lot of things, getting the ball down, incorporating his other pitches and so forth,” Melvin said. “We also know he’s got quite a track record of pitching well at the big league level. Hopefully this is the start of a nice run for him.”