A's lefty undergoes knee surgery

Athletics lefty Sean Newcomb underwent a left knee lateral meniscus repair Wednesday, reports Martin Gallegos of MLB.com. The A’s had already placed Newcomb on the 60-day injured list earlier, ending his season, though it wasn’t known until now that surgery was on the table for the southpaw.

The A’s acquired Newcomb from the Giants in a late-August trade that sent minor league outfielder Trenton Brooks to across the bay. Both players were eligible to be traded after the deadline by virtue of the fact that they had not appeared on a 40-man roster or Major League injured list this season.

At the time of the swap, the well-traveled Newcomb was enjoying a nice season in Triple-A Sacramento, where he’d pitched 31 1/3 innings of 3.16 ERA ball with a hefty 30.5% strikeout rate against a more problematic 15.3% walk rate. He was immediately selected to Oakland’s big league roster and went on to pitch 15 innings for manager Mark Kotsay, holding opponents to five runs (3.00 ERA) on eight hits and nine walks with 17 strikeouts. Newcomb’s final two appearances were starts, totaling a combined seven innings with four runs on six hits and five walks.

Newcomb, 30, is expected to be ready for the start of spring training next year. Of course, it remains to be seen whether the A’s will carry him on the 40-man roster all winter. While they did trade a minor leaguer to acquire him, Brooks himself was a minor league signee last offseason and would’ve been a minor league free agent at season’s end, so they didn’t exactly surrender a long-term piece in order to acquire Newcomb. That said, the A’s are desperate for arms, and Newcomb made a solid first impression on the club.

This is the seventh straight year in which Newcomb has logged big league time, although the former first-round pick and top prospect has struggled greatly since showing promise with the Braves early in his career. Atlanta acquired Newcomb and righty Chris Ellis from the Angels in the trade that sent Andrelton Simmons to Anaheim, and Newcomb posted a 3.87 ERA and 23% strikeout rate through his first 332 1/3 big league innings — splitting his appearances roughly evenly between the rotation (2017-18) and bullpen (2019).

Newcomb’s disastrous 2020 season set him back, however, as he served up 17 runs in just 13 2/3 innings across four starts. The following year, he walked 18% of his opponents while pitching 32 1/3 innings of relief, and the 2022 season saw Newcomb surrender 27 runs in 27 2/3 innings between the Cubs and Braves. Overall, Newcomb has a 4.47 ERA in 421 Major League innings, but that’s including his strong early showing with Atlanta. Since 2020, he’s pitched to a 6.70 ERA with a 23.6% strikeout rate and bloated 14.7% walk rate in 88 2/3 innings.

Newcomb will finish out the current season with four-plus years of Major League service time. The A’s can control him through the 2025 season via arbitration if they keep him on the 40-man roster.