Overview
- The Oakland Athletics announced that Sterner underwent a chondroplasty on the medial femoral condyle and will miss the remainder of the 2026 season.
- Sterner is currently on the 15-day injured list and will be moved to the 60-day IL when the club needs his roster spot to open a vacancy.
- His recent downturn—13 earned runs in 7 1/3 innings and a sharp drop in strikeouts—coincided with a July IL placement for right-knee chondromalacia.
- The team says Sterner will begin formal rehabilitation with the goal of returning in 2027, and the missed season preserves his service-time trajectory.
- Sterner was claimed from the Tampa Bay Rays in November 2024 and had been a reliable multi-inning arm in 2025, so his absence narrows an already inexperienced A’s bullpen during a losing season.