ANAHEIM -- A's lefty Sean Manaea would have been the easiest -- and most obvious -- choice to start Wednesday's American League Wild Card Game in New York.
Instead, Manaea will be relegated to the sidelines, and in a sling, following left shoulder surgery to repair the labrum and create more room within the joint capsule. The A's, meanwhile, are scrambling to figure out the next-best plan.
Manaea, who is expected to miss the majority of 2019, was still in high spirits on Saturday after joining the team in Anaheim and preparing to travel with his teammates for the showdown with the Yankees.