Estes will open the season as the fifth starter in the Athletics rotation, Martin Gallegos of MLB.com reports.
He'll receive the spot over Mitch Spence, who will begin the season in the bullpen. Estes spent the bulk of the 2024 campaign in the rotation, finishing with a 5.01 ERA, 1.23 WHIP and 92:27 K:BB over 127.2 innings. His leash on a starting job could be fairly short.