Kade

Morris

Morris earns a ticket back to the minors after being torched for nine runs over four innings by the Astros in his big-league debut over the weekend. He gave up nine hits, including a grand slam to Yordan Alvarez during the meltdown. The 23-year-old prospect will probably get another chance at some point later this summer.

Yikes, you couldn’t script a worse major league debut. This game got ugly quickly for Morris after letting up a first inning run and then second inning grand slam to Yordan Alvarez. He never settled in and was mercifully pulled with no outs in the fifth after allowing the first two hitters to reach base, both of which came around to score. His sinker-sweeper combo was ineffective, his command was poor across the board, and the Astros lit him up. If he sticks in the rotation for another turn, he’ll face the Rockies at home next week.

It’s a challenging spot for Morris right out of the gate as he’ll face the Astros at hitter-friendly Daikin Park. The unheralded 23-year-old was called up earlier this week after posting a respectable 4.45 ERA and 49/26 K/BB ratio across 60 2/3 innings over 11 starts for Triple-A Las Vegas this season. He’s not a recommended streaming option for fantasy managers but he’s another name to watch closely since he appears to have a spot in the club’s rotation for now.

Morris figures to jump into the Athletics’ rotation with Jacob Lopez jettisoned to the minors. The 23-year-old holds a serviceable 4.45 ERA and 49/26 K/BB ratio spanning 60 2/3 innings across 11 starts for Triple-A Las Vegas this season. He’s not a recommended streaming option for fantasy managers.

Morris, 24, presumably will replace Jacob Lopez in the rotation. He had a 4.45 ERA in 11 starts for Triple-A Las Vegas, which is pretty good considering the environment. Neither his 19 percent strikeout rate nor his 10 percent walk rate were very encouraging, but he is a strong groundball pitcher, who might allow him to hold his own for the A’s.

He struck out six and walked none. Morris, a 2023 third-round pick, was making his fourth start since moving up from Double-A. Overall, he has a 3.44 ERA and a 63/18 K/BB in 73 1/3 innings. He’s not a big upside guy, but he’s someone who could see time in the Athletics’ rotation this season.