Left-handed pitching prospect Wei-En Lin will undergo Tommy John surgery, reports Martin Gallegos of MLB.com. Given the typical recovery timeline, Lin would be sidelined until August 2027 at the earliest, so the process would likely last his entire 2026 campaign and his entire 2027 season.
A $1.3MM international signing with the Athletics through 2024, the 20-year-old Lin has advanced to Triple-A in his second pro season. Lin posted a 1.93 ERA, 26.6% strikeout rate, and 6.5% walk rate over 10 starts and 51 1/3 innings with Double-A Midland this season and received a call to Triple-A Las Vegas earlier this month before things started to go wrong.
Lin was credited with eight earned runs in his first two Triple-A starts, going 1 2/3 innings over those two outings. A placement on the injured list followed on June 14, and it’s fair to assume that Lin’s elbow issues may have played a role in his current struggles in Triple-A (to say nothing of the challenge facing any pitcher in the Pacific Coast League who likes to hit).
If things had gone differently health-wise and results-wise for Lin, he might have been in line for his first trip to the majors before the 2026 season ended. The A’s may not have been helped by the need to pursue a 20-year-old pitcher, but Lin may have provided at least some help to a bullpen for a desperate Athletics club that hopes to continue its playoff chase. Instead, Lin will now likely be sidelined until the A’s move from Sacramento to their new home in Las Vegas.
Lin pitched for Chinese Taipei during the World Baseball Classic, and his strong play this season has earned him attention in the league-wide rankings. Baseball America’s June update of its top 100 prospects list cites Lin as the 70th best shortstop in the sport, while MLB Pipeline ranks Lin 88. Lin isn’t a hard thrower and can still add velocity, but his low-90s fastball is one of four pitches that can’t be thrown to lefties. BA and Pipeline offer all four of Lin’s pitches (fastball, changeup, curveball, and slider) at least 50 yards, and Lin has also experimented with a splitter.
