Jarrod Parker failed to claim a spot in the A’s rotation when he struggled to throw strikes during spring training, but it didn’t take long for the former No. 9 overall pick to enter the team’s plans.
Parker, who was acquired from the Diamondbacks in the Trevor Cahill trade this offseason, will be called up from Triple-A to start Wednesday against the White Sox.
He brushed off the spring struggles to throw 21 innings with a 2.18 ERA and 21/6 K/BB ratio in four starts at Triple-A and has recovered extremely well from Tommy John elbow surgery that knocked him out for all of 2010.
In the short term Parker is replacing Graham Godfrey, who was demoted to Triple-A after going 0-3 with a 5.06 ERA in three starts. And in the long term the 23-year-old right-hander projects as a potential No. 1 or No. 2 starter with a mid-90s fastball.