Athletics place J.T. Ginn on 15-day IL with right elbow impingement, recall Jack Perkins

What happened

The Athletics placed right-hander J.T. Ginn on the 15-day injured list with a right elbow impingement, the club announced. Right-hander Jack Perkins was recalled to fill the roster spot — one day after being optioned when Joey Estes was brought up. If the shuttle between the minors and the majors has a frequent-flyer program, Perkins is close to elite status.

Ginn has not pitched since August 26, when he earned a win over the Twins while allowing four earned runs across six innings. Per the Athletics' announcement and subsequent reporting, he apparently came out of that outing with the elbow issue. The placement on the 15-day IL is the formal acknowledgment of what had been building since that start.

Why it matters

At this point on the calendar, any IL stint carries real weight. As MLB Trade Rumors noted, any injury this late in the year could be season-ending. That said, Ginn has not been ruled out for the remainder of 2026. Per Martin Gallegos of MLB.com, his condition has improved recently, and there is a chance he makes another start before the season concludes. The door is open — how wide remains unclear.

This is Ginn's second trip to the injured list this season. He had a minimum IL stint shortly after the All-Star Break, which means the elbow has now surfaced as a recurring concern rather than a one-time interruption. Whether the two stints are directly connected is not something the available reporting addresses.

What the A's lose in the short term is length. Ginn had not been sharp from a run-prevention standpoint recently, but he was eating innings at a reliable clip — going at least six innings in five of his last six appearances. For a team managing a rotation through the final weeks of a long season, that kind of workload absorption has real operational value even when the results are mixed. Losing it means the bullpen absorbs more, which is why Perkins is back in the building less than 48 hours after leaving it.

Where the club stands

The Athletics carry a record of 56-86 (.394), sitting fourth in the AL West, 16.5 games behind the division leader. Their Wild Card standing ranks 11th, 15.5 games relative to the cut line. The postseason math is not in their favor, but the club has been direct about what September means to them: per a report from earlier this week, the Athletics have stated their goal for the final month is to play spoiler against postseason contenders — a mandate that requires, at minimum, a functional rotation.

The club enters this stretch on a three-game winning streak, which is the kind of detail that makes the Ginn news sting a little more. Things were moving in the right direction.

The upcoming schedule offers a useful lens on what the rotation situation actually demands. The A's are at Seattle on Sunday, with Gage Jump lined up against Bryan Woo at T-Mobile Park. They then return home — to Sutter Health Park — for back-to-back games against the Toronto Blue Jays on Monday and Tuesday.

With Ginn unavailable and the rotation already having absorbed the Estes recall earlier this week, the A's are leaning on a group that has been reshuffled repeatedly. The Perkins recall is the most immediate response, but it is a bullpen answer to what had been a rotation question. How the A's fill Ginn's spot in the starting sequence going forward is the operational puzzle the front office is now working through.

What we don't know yet

The central uncertainty is straightforward: does Ginn pitch again this season? Per Martin Gallegos of MLB.com, his condition has improved and a return is possible, but nothing has been ruled in or out definitively. The 15-day IL sets a minimum absence, and with the regular season winding down, the window for any return is narrow by definition.

It is also worth noting that the A's have been managing several health situations simultaneously. A's catcher Shea Langeliers has a knee injury, though the team has left open the possibility of a September return rather than a season-ending stint, per an earlier report. A's first baseman and third baseman Tommy White exited a game against the Rangers earlier this week with lower back tightness. And outfielder Denzel Clarke has been nearing a return from an injury absence, per a report from earlier this week, which could affect how the club constructs its active roster as the final weeks unfold.

Under general league rules, September rosters allow up to 28 players — an expansion from the 26-man limit that applies through August. That additional flexibility gives the A's some room to carry extra arms while managing the various health situations, though the 40-man roster still serves as the ceiling for who can be called up.

What to watch

### Could Ginn make another start this season?

Per Martin Gallegos of MLB.com, it is possible — his condition has reportedly improved. But the calendar is the constraint. The A's are in the final weeks of the regular season, and a pitcher returning from a right elbow impingement needs time to ramp back up. The next few days of reporting on his progress will clarify whether that window is realistic or whether the August 26 start against Minnesota ends up being his last of 2026.

Beyond Ginn, watch how the A's handle the rotation construction around Estes and the rest of the group. Perkins is back as a bullpen option, but the innings Ginn was providing — six-plus frames in five of his last six outings — do not simply redistribute themselves. Someone has to absorb them, and the upcoming series against Toronto will be an early indicator of how the A's are thinking about the back end of their rotation heading into the final stretch.

The spoiler mission the club outlined for September requires showing up ready to play. Right now, they are doing that with a three-game winning streak and a stated sense of purpose. Keeping the rotation intact enough to execute on that goal is the quieter challenge running underneath it.