The A’s have spent much of this season sorting through damage control in the bullpen, but Luis Medina has given them one of the few real bright spots.
With injuries piling up and the relief corps taking hit after hit, Oakland has leaned on younger arms to keep the season moving. Scott Barlow was designated for assignment earlier this summer, while Mark Leiter Jr. and Justin Sterner have been sidelined for a long stretch. In that mess, Elvis Alvarado has started to look like a possible closer of the future, and Scott Blewett may have pitched his way into next year’s plans as well.
Medina belongs in that conversation, too.
He entered the year with a path to the Opening Day roster because he was out of minor league options, and the A’s chose to use him in the bullpen after his time as a big league starter had stalled out. The move made sense.
Medina had shown a lively fastball in the past, but the results as a starter never followed. He posted a 5.18 ERA in 2024 and a 5.42 ERA in 2023.
Shifting him to relief changed the equation. With shorter outings, Medina was able to dial up his velocity, and the strikeout stuff has played up in a big way. He is currently in the 93rd percentile in whiff percentage and the 91st percentile in strikeout percentage, which is exactly the kind of profile that works when the game tightens late.
That swing-and-miss ability has shown up in some big spots, too. In one high-leverage appearance, Medina struck out Arozarena with a nasty slider to protect the lead for the A’s. In another, he punched out two hitters in a high-leverage setup outing.
The A’s are staring at plenty of roster change this offseason, especially with the club having fired general manager David Forst and preparing to hire a new one. That new GM will have plenty to sort through on the pitching side before 2026, and the bullpen could look very different by then.
Even so, Medina has made a strong case to stick around. He looks like more than just an emergency arm now.
He could be a long reliever, though his success in higher-leverage work this season suggests the A’s may keep trusting him in that kind of role. If Oakland adds a couple of proven relievers this winter, Medina could settle into a middle-relief spot.
For a team that has needed help anywhere it could find it, Medina has done more than just survive. He’s shown he belongs. And because he still has no minor league options, he’ll have a real shot to crack the Opening Day roster again.
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