Jarrod Parker injury: A’s SP requires 2nd Tommy John surgery

The bad news is that Jarrod Parker, who was set to start Opening Day for the A's, will undergo his second Tommy John surgery next Tuesday and will be out for all of 2014. Parker, though he's never lived up to the hype that accompanied him as a Diamondbacks prospect, has established himself as a solid innings-eater who takes advantage of the strong defense behind him and hasn't had any injury problems since his first surgery in 2009. On what he described as a down day for the organization, manager Bob Melvin said, "You know, he's done so much for us. It's hard for a guy who's gone through this before. I really feel for him. As far as the team goes, sure. Of course it's a blow. We'll have to do something different."

Of course, Tommy John surgery isn't a death sentence for a young pitcher, but the history of players after getting their second operation is nowhere near as promising. Updating research started by John Shea in the San Francisco Chronicle in 2012, 25 major league pitchers have had at least two ligament tears that required the ground-breaking surgery pioneered by the late, great Dr. Frank Jobe. Of the starting pitchers, a group that includes Chris Capuano, Darren Dreifort, Jose Rijo and Victor Zambrano, only Capuano was able to successfully come back as a starter with any kind of effectiveness. "You don't know what the recovery rate is with guys with a second Tommy John," A's assistant GM David Forst told reporters, "but unfortunately it's becoming more frequent." However, Dr. James Andrews estimated two years ago that "the success rate for pitchers returning to presurgery form after undergoing a second Tommy John procedure is about 20 percent." Certainly, the A's have to be worried about Parker's long-term future.

On the other hand, the good news is that Scott Kazmir, who was scratched from Monday's start with minor soreness in his triceps, is supposed to be fine. The lefty, who came back from obscurity last year, was the main free agent acquisition by the A's this offseason. Although he will see an orthopedist, the A's rested him simply as a precaution and suggested that he could start Tuesday against the White Sox.

Kazmir's continued health is going to be key for the defending AL West champions, after he helped key the turnaround for the Indians' starting rotation last year. He is projected, with Sonny Gray, to be one of two Oakland starters to have a strikeout rate above the league average in 2014.

If Kazmir's injury is more severe than expected, however, or if another starter goes down, the A's would have to turn to former Rockies prospect Drew Pomeranz as a last resort. And as pitchers keep dropping in Arizona this spring, it's fair to wonder how many bullets Oakland can dodge and whether the A's chances are dead if they're hit again.