ARLINGTON, Texas — Oakland manager Bob Melvin confirmed Tuesday that right-handed pitcher A.J. Griffin will have elbow surgery and will miss the rest of the season.
Griffin, 14-10 with a 3.83 ERA in 2013, joins Jarrod Parker (Tommy John surgery) — the team’s expected Opening Day starter — on the shelf for all of 2014.
The two combined for 26 victories last season.
“Losing two guys like that for the entire season is a difficult blow,” Melvin said. “You move on, but you certainly have a lot of sympathy for the two guys that are having to go through that because they’ve meant so much to this team over the last couple of years.”
Melvin said Josh Lindblom or Arnold Leon would likely be was noncommittal about who would move into the rotation, though.
The A’s managed well without two top pitchers. Anchored by Sonny Gray, who threw a shutout Monday against Texas, Scott Kazmir, Dan Straily and Jesse Chavez, Oakland had the lowest ERA in the American League at 2.89.
“He’s always happy-go-lucky and in good spirits,” Melvin said of Griffin, who went 7-1 with a 3.06 ERA in his major league debut season in 2012. “The fact that he’s having it this early gives him light at the end of the tunnel to pitch next season.
“He’s looking at it very positively.”