On Monday, the Oakland Athletics optioned left-handed starter Eric Surkamp to Triple-A Nashville and called up right-hander Andrew Triggs in his place.
The deciding factor was Surkamp’s short outing on Sunday against the Toronto Blue Jays. The lefty pitched just 4.2 innings, allowing nine hits and walking four as he gave up six earned runs, including a pair of homers. He struck out just three batters, and continued a season-long trend of being unable to go six innings or more, the benchmark for a quality start.
Triggs, who was acquired from the Baltimore Orioles this spring, has had a decent start to the 2016 season with the Sounds.