Starting the season a bit tardy as he recovered from a right knee MCL sprain, Luis Medina’s 2024 season didn’t last very long. After a month-and-a-half in the majors, the talented righty went down again in mid-July, this time from a sprain in his elbow that got him into the highly inclusive Tommy John surgery club. We’ll be lucky to see him in 2025, but he’s still young enough to hold out hope for a brighter future.
How was he acquired?
The A’s received Medina alongside from the New York Yankees in exchange for Frankie Montas and Lou Trivino. He was known at the time for having an elite arsenal of pitches and the inability to command it, a profile the A’s have consistently targeted in recent years.
What were the expectations?
Medina had a poor yet encouraging debut season in 2023. As a rookie, the Dominican righty pitched to a subpar 5.42 ERA/4.76 FIP in 109 2⁄3 innings but cut his troubling 15% walk rate in the minors to a much more palatable 11.5%. With walks being his biggest weakness, it was great for the team to see him making significant strides forward against even stronger competition. The hope for 2024 was that he’d at least maintain those gains and take a leap forward as a potential frontline starter.
2024 Results
After experiencing a knee sprain early in Spring Training, Medina didn’t get into his first major league start until June 2. He went on to put up fairly similar numbers to the previous season, albeit with fewer strikeouts. After eight starts, the 25-year-old carried a 5.18 ERA/4.44 FIP with a still improved 11% walk rate, solidifying confidence that he was no longer the wild arm he used to be. Unfortunately, his story ended there on July 11, a day in which he allowed 6 earned runs in 5 innings. We found out afterwards that he had a right elbow strain and would miss the rest of the season as he rehabbed from Tommy John surgery.
2025 Outlook
Given that the average recovery time for TJ surgery is 12-18 months, it’s unlikely we’ll see Medina again until 2026. There’s a small chance he’ll be ready for a few late season starts if he’s recovering quickly but the A’s have no need to rush him, especially with his trade-mate Ken Waldichuk a few months ahead of him on the Tommy John recovery timeline. It’ll be best for all parties to give him all the time he needs to recover and hope he comes back stronger in 2026 ready to contribute to a potentially competitive roster.
