The Athletics placed Estes on the 15-day injured list Wednesday, retroactive to Monday, with a herniated disc in his lower back.

EDGE Analysis

Estes performed well Sunday during his return to the majors, firing four shutout innings while allowing one hit and striking out one batter. He'll now be forced to sit out until at least Sept. 9, however, and the A's will call up Brady Basso from Triple-A to fill the opening on the active roster.

Estes allowed a hit and no walks with a strikeout over four scoreless innings in Sunday's 11-4 loss to the Mariners.

EDGE Analysis

Estes was called on to eat innings in Sunday's blowout loss and delivered four scoreless frames out of the bullpen. It marked his first big-league appearance since April 6, when he opened the year in the rotation and gave up 12 earned runs over seven innings across two starts. With the Athletics' rotation dealing with injuries, Estes could play his way back into a starting role before season's end.

The Athletics recalled Estes from Triple-A Las Vegas on Friday.

EDGE Analysis

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.

EDGE Analysis

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.

Triple-A Las Vegas placed Estes on its 7-day injured list May 20 due to an undisclosed injury.

EDGE Analysis

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.

EDGE Analysis

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.

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.

EDGE Analysis

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.

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.

EDGE Analysis

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.

Estes will open the season as the fifth starter in the Athletics rotation, Martin Gallegos of MLB.com reports.

EDGE Analysis

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.

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.

EDGE Analysis

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.