Left-handed pitching prospect Wei-En Lin will be undergoing Tommy John surgery, MLB.com’s Martin Gallegos reports. Given the usual recovery timeline, Lin will be sidelined until August 2027 at the earliest, so it is very possible the procedure wipes out both the rest of his 2026 campaign and his entire 2027 season.
A $1.3MM international signing for the Athletics in 2024, the 20-year-old Lin has already advanced to Triple-A in his second pro season. Lin posted a 1.93 ERA, 26.6% strikeout rate, and 6.5% walk rate over 10 starts and 51 1/3 innings with Double-A Midland this season and got the call to Triple-A Las Vegas earlier this month before things started going haywire.
Lin was rocked for eight earned runs over his first two Triple-A starts, lasting just 1 2/3 innings over those two outing. A placement on the injured list followed on June 14, and it is fair to assume that Lin’s elbow issues may have played a role in his immediate struggles in Triple-A (to say nothing of the challenge faced by any pitcher in the hitter-friendly Pacific Coast League).
Had things gone differently both health-wise and results-wise for Lin, he might’ve been in line for his first trip to the majors before the 2026 season was over. The A’s might not have felt a need to rush a 20-year-old pitcher, yet Lin might have conceivably provided at least some bullpen help for a pitching-needy Athletics club that hopes to remain in the playoff chase. Instead, Lin now likely won’t be a factor until the A’s leave Sacramento for their new home in Las Vegas.
Lin pitched for Chinese Taipei during the World Baseball Classic, and his strong performance this season earned him some attention in league-wide prospect rankings. Baseball America’s June update to its top-100 prospect list cites Lin as the 70th-best minor leaguer in the sport, while MLB Pipeline ranks Lin 88th. Lin isn’t a hard thrower and could yet add velocity, but his early 90’s fastball is just one of four pitches that the left-hander can consistently throw for strikes. BA and Pipeline give all four of Lin’s pitches (a fastball, changeup, curveball, and slider) at least a 50 grade, and Lin has also experimented with a splitter.
