A's Top Pitching Prospect Jamie Arnold Taken to Hospital After Early Exit

On Tuesday afternoon it was reported that the A's top prospect, Leo De Vries, would be undergoing surgery in the next few days, with an expected recovery time of up to eight months.

On Wednesday evening in Triple-A Las Vegas, the third batter of the game hit a Jamie Arnold sweeper 107.3 mph off the bat that drilled the A's lefty in the head. He stayed standing, but immediately walked over to the Aviators dugout. Arnold is the A's top pitching prospect, and the No. 57 prospect in MLB.

The A's later said that Arnold was taken to the hospital by the team's medical staff following this play, and another update will be provided by the organization when one is available.

Arnold was promoted to Triple-A last week , making his first appearance with Las Vegas on September 1. The lefty went five scoreless innings, giving up four hits and two walks, while striking out five.

He's also been on a tear in the second half of the season, going 5-0 and holding a 1.99 ERA across 11 starts spanning 54 ⅓ innings. In the first half, he'd held a 4.64 ERA in 13 starts spanning 64 innings.

He recently said that part of the difference for him had been relying on his changeup a bit more after the break, which had been leading to improved results — and a promotion.

There was some hope that De Vries would be able to help the Athletics in some fashion during the 2027 campaign, and this injury could put that into some doubt if the season begins on time.

Not only would he be back on the field around May if he's out for eight months, but he would still need to get up to speed in the minors before ultimately reaching the A's roster.

The same rings true for Arnold, though his situation is obviously different. First and foremost, the hope is that the left-hander is ok.

With that baseline health, there may not be a ton of difference for Arnold's trajectory to the big leagues. In fact, the lockout could end up serving him well.

If the MLB season ends up missing some games, that would mean a later start to the season. The MiLB campaign is still scheduled to take place, regardless of what is going on with the lockout negotiations, which means that Arnold and other non-40-man guys would be able to play ball.

The Las Vegas Aviators' schedule is set to begin on March 26 in Tacoma. If he's off to a hot start and the MLB season doesn't begin until May, there is a chance he could be in the A's rotation on Opening Day.