Gallegos reported that the Athletics will begin the season with a rotation of Luis Severino, Jeffrey Springs, Osvaldo Bido, JP Sears, and Joey Estes as their five starters. Spence had pitched well to start spring training but gave up seven runs in his last start, which may have sealed his fate. The 26-year-old registered a 4.58 ERA, 1.38 WHIP, and 126/44 K/BB ratio in 151 1/3 innings for the Athletics last season and should get more starts at some point in 2025.

Spence, 26, gave up seven hits — one of them a homer — with one walk and a strikeout. The right-hander gave up all seven runs in the second before exiting, but spring rules allowed him to return for another two innings. Spence will pitch in the back of the A’s rotation to open 2025, and his fantasy value is likely limited to AL-only formats.

The velocity spike Spence showed his first time out disappeared in his second start Monday, but it was back in evidence today, as he topped out at 95.8 mph and threw some harder-than-usual curves. It’s doubtful that he’ll prove to be a mixed-league starter this year, but AL-only value is likely.

That’s the good news. Unfortunately, the velocity spike that Spence showed in his first start didn’t stick around today. He averaged 94.6 mph with his sinking fastball against the Mariners on Wednesday. Today, he was down to 91.1 mph, slightly lower than his 2024 average of 91.9 mph.