The Athletics recalled Estes from Triple-A Las Vegas on Friday.
Estes hasn't pitched in an MLB game since April 6, spending nearly all of the 2025 campaign at Triple-A Las Vegas. The 23-year-old has posted a 5.51 ERA and 67:20 K:BB across 17 appearances (15 starts) spanning 80 innings with Las Vegas. Estes is likely to slot into the A's rotation, taking the place of Jack Perkins (shoulder), who landed on the 15-day injured list.
Estes (undisclosed) allowed one walk and struck out three over three innings Saturday against Triple-A Sugar Land.
Estes missed five weeks while dealing with an unspecified injury, but he looked incredibly sharp in his return. He's posted an impressive 2.86 ERA and 1.14 WHIP with a 20:7 K:BB over his last five starts for the Aviators.
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Athletics' Joey Estes: Shut down at Triple-A
Rotowire
Triple-A Las Vegas placed Estes on its 7-day injured list May 20 due to an undisclosed injury.
After being optioned to Las Vegas in early April after two rough starts for the Athletics to begin the season, Estes made seven appearances for the Triple-A club before going down with an injury. The 23-year-old righty likely would have been in consideration for a call-up in the near future had he not gotten hurt, as he posted a 4.15 ERA, 1.26 WHIP and 33:9 K:BB across 34.2 innings in the hitter-friendly Pacific Coast League.
The Athletics optioned Estes to Triple-A Las Vegas on Monday.
Estes was pummeled for 12 runs over seven innings of work in his two starts, and it has cost him his spot in the rotation and on the roster. The Athletics have not revealed who will replace Estes in the rotation, but Mitch Spence is an obvious candidate.
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Athletics' Joey Estes: Another ugly outing
Rotowire
Estes (0-2) allowed six runs on six hits and two walks while striking out three over three innings Sunday to take the loss against the Rockies.
Estes got roughed up for a second straight start, as the Rockies tacked on runs in each inning he pitched. He surrendered a leadoff home run in the first and three more doubles before his day ended. That's now 12 runs allowed on 15 hits over his first seven innings of the season. Estes lines up for a home start against the Mets next weekend should he remain in the rotation going forward.
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Athletics' Joey Estes: Ambushed in home opener
Rotowire
Estes (0-1) allowed six runs on nine hits and four walks while striking out two batters over four innings Monday to take the loss against the Cubs.
Estes had the honor of starting the Athletics' first home game in Sacramento, but he was unable to turn in a good outing. Chicago tagged him for three long balls, two of which came in a four-run first inning. Estes also struggled with his control, throwing just 49 of 85 pitches for strikes and issuing four free passes. He narrowly won a spot over Mitch Spence in the team's rotation following a poor performance during spring training, so Estes will likely need to show considerable improvement moving forward to stick as a big-league starter.
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Athletics' Joey Estes: Wins final spot in rotation
Rotowire
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.
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Athletics' Joey Estes: Making weak case for rotation spot
Rotowire
Estes gave up two runs over 3.2 innings with two strikeouts and one walk in Sunday's win over the Dodgers. He has a 5.87 ERA with a 5:1 K:BB in 7.2 innings this spring.
Estes is competing for a spot in the rotation but likely isn't making enough of an impression to win a job. Meanwhile, Mitch Spence has pitched well, and Osvaldo Bido may still be a lock despite struggling (12.91 ERA). If Estes loses out on a rotation spot, it's not clear if he'll move to the bullpen or to the rotation at Triple-A.
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Athletics' Joey Estes: Solid showing in final start
Rotowire
Estes did not factor into the decision in the Athletics' extra-inning loss to the Mariners on Saturday, allowing three earned runs on five hits and two walks over five innings. He struck out two and also hit a batter.
Estes put together a serviceable performance to wrap up his 2024 campaign, bouncing back from back-to-back outings in which he surrendered a combined 11 runs on 16 hits and a walk over five innings. The right-hander allowed one ball to leave the yard Saturday -- a fourth-inning solo home run by Cal Raleigh -- while also yielding a two-run single to Josh Rojas in the same frame. After getting his first taste of the big leagues in 2023 via a pair of starts, Estes worked to a 7-9 record, 5.01 ERA and 1.23 WHIP across 127.2 innings over 25 appearances (24 starts) this season, tossing a shutout along the way.
Estes (7-9) allowed five runs on seven hits and a walk while striking out one over four innings to take the loss versus the Yankees on Sunday.
Estes gave up home runs to Jasson Dominguez, Aaron Judge and Gleyber Torres, accounting for four of the five runs on his line. This was the third time in four September starts that Estes has given up at least four runs after doing so just once in July and August combined. He's now at a 4.99 ERA, 1.22 WHIP and 90:25 K:BB through 122.2 innings over 24 outings (23 starts) this season. Estes is tentatively projected to make his last start of the year at Seattle.
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