Fiers off injured list; role unclear

Mike Fiers is back with the A’s but will not immediately rejoin the rotation. Reinstated from the injured list before Monday’s series opener at Tampa Bay, the righthander initially will work out of the bullpen. His exact role is unclear.

“Probably length, try to keep him stretched out,” manager Bob Melvin said. “I don’t know how it’s going to work. I don’t know how long it’ll stay like this, but that’s where we are right now.”

Lefthanded reliever Adam Kolarek was optioned to the A’s alternate site to clear a roster spot for Fiers. Cole Irvin, who opened the season in the rotation in Fiers’ stead, will remain a starter for now and is scheduled to pitch Wednesday. Melvin said the A’s have no plans to expand to a sixman rotation. Fiers has a handful of majorleague relief outings, the last in 2018.

“We have a lot of depth, we’re trying to keep all our depth, and it’s just the way it looks as we sit here right now and we’ll see going forward,” Melvin said.

Fiers opened the season on the IL with a lumbar strain that arose in spring training. Fiers went 63 with a 4.58 ERA in 11 starts in the short 2020 season and started 44 games with Oakland from 2019 through ’20. The A’s resigned Fiers, 35, to a oneyear, $3.5 million deal in February. His last relief outing was Sept. 28, 2018, a game in which the A’s used Lou Trivino as an opener.

Irvin allowed eight total runs in his first two starts against Houston but has allowed one run in 111⁄3 innings over his past two outings against the Tigers and Orioles. A’s pitching coach Scott Emerson said, as of Monday, the team had not discussed making changes to the rotation.

“We’ll take one start at a time with everybody,” Emerson said. “Cole’s been throwing the ball really well. He moves his baseball around, got good command of it, changes speeds really well.”

Kolarek, acquired in an offseason trade with the Dodgers, has an 8.44 ERA in eight appearances. He did not allow a run in his last five outings but four of six runners he inherited in that span did score. Lefthanded hitters are 2for15 against Kolarek, but righthanded hitters are 6for11. He will join the A’s taxi squad for the remainder of this trip.

“We faced quite a few teams that either had a lot of switchhitters and/or righthanded hitters and (he) didn’t get consistent work,” Melvin said. “We just didn’t have room for him at this particular time, but I have a good feeling about him being back at some point.”

Briefly: Frankie Montas, Irvin and Chris Bassitt will start Tuesday through Thursday at Tampa Bay. … Ramón Laureano started at designated hitter Monday; Melvin said several regulars likely will get days off or at DH this series because of the toll taken by Tropicana Field’s turf.