A’s pitcher Jarrod Parker diagnosed with forearm strain; avoids surgery
By Brad Rowland
In the past few days, there has been some sincere worry in Oakland surrounding the right (pitching) arm of Jarrod Parker. Late last week, Parker underwent an MRI to diagnose exactly what was wrong with his money-making arm, and those results came to the surface on Monday.
A's also determined Jarrod Parker has a right forearm strain, so he won't need surgery. Just rest.
— Jane Lee (@JaneMLB) October 14, 2013
Exhale.
Parker entered the 2013 season as the #1 starter for the A’s, and while his final line (197 innings, 3.97 ERA) was a bit of a disappointment, he is an extremely valuable commodity. The 25-year-old right hander struggled mightily to begin the season (7.36 ERA in April), but he settled down in a major way, showcasing the solid repertoire that made him one of the young pitchers to watch in all of baseball.
The diagnosis of a right forearm strain is an unequivocal “win” for Oakland, and he should be 100% by the time pitchers and catchers report in February. Now, A’s fans can turn their attention to both the rehab of Josh Reddick and Sonny Gray, as well as the question of whether the April version of Parker (yikes) or the rest-of-year version of Parker (fantastic) emerges.
My money is on the latter.