A is right-handed Brent Honeywell Jr. has an olecranon stress reaction in his limb, the team informed reporters (including Matt Kawahara of the San Francisco Chronicle). It will be closed indefinitely while the club determines next steps.
It’s the latest in a brutal string of injuries for the 26-year-old, who Oakland acquired from the Rays over the winter. A former fourth-round pick, Honeywell dominated the lower tiers of the Tampa Bay system and quickly emerged as one of the sport’s most promising pitching prospects. Baseball America included him in the top 100 overall farm workers in the 2016 campaign, the first of five consecutive years he has held a spot on this list.
That Honeywell was a top contender for half a decade spoke to both his talent and the injuries that kept him from exhausting his rookie eligibility. From 2018-20, he didn’t throw a single pitch in a connected game and underwent an incredible four elbow surgeries during that time. He required surgery on Tommy John in February 2018; During his rehab, he broke his elbow the following June. Honeywell then underwent ulnar nerve decompression in May 2020 before requiring an arthroscopic procedure at the end of that season.
Honeywell returned to play 31 games with the Rays’ top Durham affiliate last season and he saw action in his first three games in the big league. His strikeout rate was way down, however, and the Rays took him to the A’s for cash to clear a roster spot ahead of Rule 5 protection day. It’s not clear when Honeywell will next take over the ball, but it’s a virtual suspension that he will start the year on the injured list and it wouldn’t be surprising if he finds himself again absent for a lengthy period.
In another ominous injury message for the A’s, Reliever Deolis Guerra interrupted his throwing program after feeling some tension in his forearm (Kawahara link). Forearm strains are a fairly common precursor to UCL injuries, although it won’t be known if he’s dealing with a notable structural issue until he goes for further testing tomorrow. Guerra, who turns 33 next month, threw a career-high 65 2/3 innings in 53 games last year. He posted a 4.11 ERA with decent strikeout and walk rates (23% and 7.4%, respectively).
On a positive note, righty James Kaprielian responded well to a weekend bullpen session (about kawahara). He was struggling with irritation in the AC joint of his throwing arms this spring. With just over a week to go before opening day, Kaprieelian still looks likely to start the season at IL, but the former first-rounder should play a key role in the starting XI whenever he’s ready to leave. He played 24 games (including 21 starts) in 2021 and had a 4.07 ERA with a 24.2% strikeout percentage.