It’s merely a procedural move as Waldichuk continues his recovery from last May’s Tommy John surgery. He might be able to make it back before the end of the year, but that’s probably a stretch.

Waldichuk underwent a full Tommy John elbow reconstruction and will be sidelined at least until the later stages of the 2025 campaign. The 26-year-old lefty suffered the injury originally last September and was ultimately unable to avoid surgery.

Waldichuk was diagnosed with a sprained UCL after his final schedule start last year, though the A’s never revealed that until December. He was hoping to resume pitching in minor league games this month, but it seems his rehab stalled. The A’s have yet to say exactly what this surgery will address — that will come after the procedure — but it seems doubtful that Waldichuk will pitch this season.

Waldichuk has been on the injured list since the start of the season and isn’t eligible to return until May 27 since he was placed on the 60-day injured list. The left-hander will next throw a sim game, and if all goes well a rehab assignment will come next. He should be making starts for the Athletics by the start of June if there are no setbacks.