OAKLAND — Just when it seemed like he was nearing a return to the A's, 27-year-old right-hander Jharel Cotton has been shut down with a right hamstring injury.
Cotton had been recovering from Tommy John surgery, which he underwent last March. He threw two scoreless innings Tuesday in a rehab appearance at Class-A Stockton but didn't feel great.
"He felt it and then it got a little bit progressively worse, so we're going to shut him down for a while," said A's manager Bob Melvin.
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Melvin had planned to use Cotton out of the bullpen when he returned to Oakland, but now there is no timetable for a return.
"It's to the point where we have to shut him down and these things usually take a little time," Melvin said. "I don't know what degree it is, but I know that everything that he's built up upon now, he probably would have been the first guy back, as far as the injured guys, and that's on hold for the time being."
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Cotton last pitched for the A's in 2017, going 9-10 with a 5.58 ERA and 1.44 WHIP in 24 starts. He pitched much better in 2016, going 2-0 with a 2.15 ERA and 0.82 WHIP in five starts.
Oakland Athletics
Oakland acquired Cotton from the Los Angeles Dodgers in 2016, along with Frankie Montas and Grant Holmes, in exchange for Rich Hill and Josh Reddick.