The Athletics announced that right-hander Justin Sterner has undergone right knee surgery, specifically a chondroplasty of the medial femoral condyle. Sterner will start his rehabilitation work but won’t return during the remainder of the 2026 season. He is already on the 15-day injured list but will be transferred to the 60-day IL whenever the A’s need his roster spot.
Sterner, now 29, was claimed off waivers from the Rays in November of 2024. He was a solid bullpen option for the A’s last year, as he gave them 65 innings, allowing 3.18 earned runs per nine. His 26.3% strikeout rate and 7.9% walk rate were both strong figures.
This year, he started out on a similar trajectory but faded more recently. Through his first 34 innings, he had a 3.18 ERA, 25% strikeout rate and 5.9% walk rate. In his most recent 7 1/3 innings, he allowed 13 earned runs while walking 10.3% of opponents and only striking them out at a 12.8% pace. That bumped his season-long ERA all the way to 6.12 before he hit the 15-day IL a month ago due to right knee chondromalacia.
Given the awful downturn in his most recent results, perhaps the knee issue started bugging him before he hit the IL. Regardless, he won’t get a chance to get back on track until 2027. He came into this year with 169 days of service time and will therefore go into 2027 at 1.169. He would be a lock for Super Two status after next year, barring major changes to the rules in the next collective bargaining agreement, though he does still have an option remaining and could still be destined for time in the minors in the future.
In the short term, it’s not a notable impact for the A’s. They have the worst record in baseball at 47-74. They are playing out the string on a lost season. They have almost no one established in their bullpen. Of the eight guys currently there, none of them came into 2026 with even three years of service time. The A’s can keep giving opportunities to those arms throughout the remainder of the campaign to evaluate who belongs in the long-term plans.
Photo courtesy of Lon Horwedel, Imagn Images
