Two in one day? Only for you guys! Season In Review sticks with the pitchers but shifts to the starting side of things. Right-hander Joey Estes was once one of the top pitching prospects in the Athletics’
farm system and has shown flashes here and there, but he’s fallen behind in the pecking order behind some of the newer and younger arms coming up behind him. Will 2026 be the year he turns things around, or is this set to be his final year in our organization?
How Was He Acquired?
Estes, a former 16th round pick by the Atlanta Braves, was acquired by the Athletics in the lopsided Matt Olson trade, coming over alongside Cristian Pache, Ryan Cusick and Shea Langeliers. So far we’ve gotten at least one actually good piece back for our former All-Star first baseman.
What Were The Expectations?
Estes was considered one of the throw-in pieces in that trade as Langeliers (ranked as the Braves’ #1 prospect at the time) and Pache (ranked #3) were the two main prizes coming back to the A’s. Still, Estes had posted a solid 2.91 ERA in Low-A and had a strong 127 strikeouts compared to just 29 free passes issued. He was never going to overpower hitters with his arsenal but the hope was he would be crafty enough with strong control that he could work as a back-end type of starting pitcher, which has value in this league.
Estes didn’t impress all that much in his first year in the A’s organization in 2022. The A’s still promoted him to Double-A the following season and the righty held his own at that level. Looking to be aggressive with him they brought him up to Triple-A where he faced some struggles against the highest level of the minors. And the aggressiveness didn’t stop there. After just 32 2/3 innings at Triple-A the A’s selected his contract and brought him up to the major leagues for the very first time on September 20th. He made a couple starts but got rocked for eight runs in just 10 innings of work, which wasn’t all that surprising for a 21-year-old rookie.
That punctuated a massive ascent for the young right-hander but he was evidently still not ready to make the jump permanent. He began the next year in Triple-A for more seasoning. He only made six starts for the Aviators before getting called up to the big league team again, and there he would remain for the rest of the season, making 24 starts as a 22-year-old rookie for the Athletics. His 5.01 ERA wasn’t impressive but for such a young arm to be making that many starts in the big leagues gave hope that Estes would continue to grow with more experience.
During last winter the A’s beefed up the starting unit by adding Luis Severino and Jeffrey Springs, but there was still plenty of room for someone like Estes in the starting five. And after making 24 starts the previous season he was expected to be one of the frontrunners for a spot. That gave him an early leg up on some of his competition but he’d still have to go out and look ready for the opportunity.
2025 Results
Estes began Spring Training as one of five starters vying for two spots in the starting rotation, along with Osvaldo Bido, J.T. Ginn, Gunnar Hoglund and Mitch Spence. Estes didn’t have a good spring by any standards and many fans were expecting him to begin the season in Triple-A, but he instead won the fifth and final spot in the starting rotation (along with Bido) and would be with the big league team when they opened the season in Seattle. How long would the leash be for the second-year starter after a rough spring though?
While coaches know that you can’t take camp stats at face value, Estes’ tough spring followed him into the regular season. His first start of the season lasted just four innings as he allowed six earned runs to the Chicago Cubs in a blowout loss. More worryingly was the four free passes he issued. Always known for his control, that was not a good sign for the right-hander. The A’s gave Estes one more start but after another outing of six earned runs allowed they pulled the plug early on Estes, optioning him back to Triple-A for more seasoning.
We all expected to see him back again soon but his return just never came. Estes’ time with the Aviators did not go well as his struggles continued against lesser competition. He spent time on their IL which cost him a month in the middle of the season when he was seemingly starting to hit a stride but overall in 15 starts he posted a 5.51 ERA in a tough hitting environment.
He would get back to the big leagues before the season wrapped up, making one final start in August and looking like a new and different pitcher. He held down Seattle’s tough lineup for four innings, allowing just one hit and getting strikes on 32 of his 40 pitches. That encouraging outing was cut short though thanks to an injury, which was later revealed to be a herniated disc in his lower back. That would require surgery, thus ending Estes’ season after just three big league starts.
2026 Outlook
Estes remains in the organization to this day but his stock has fallen way, way down. The surgery shouldn’t have any effect on his availability for Spring Training but with back issues you can never be certain. The A’s starting rotation has been an area of concern all winter and the team could still add there. That’d put Estes even lower in the current pecking order of starting options, behind guys like Luis Morales, Luis Medina, Mason Barnett, J.T. Ginn, and Jack Perkins. Depth is always tested during the long season so never say never to seeing him getting a spot start here or there again, especially if he can bounce back from a rough campaign last year.
While the starting group is filling up the bullpen is still in flux. Estes’ repertoire doesn’t exactly look like it’d play up all that much out of the bullpen though so the A’s will need to decide a course for Estes one way or the other this year. Does the club still believe that Estes can become a viable backend type of pitcher, is a shift to the bullpen about to happen, or is the team ready to look at higher-ceiling arms and cut bait on one of the final pieces from the Olson trade? 2026 will be a massive year for Estes’ future within the organization.
