A’s prospect Luzardo shut down 4-6 weeks

A’s top prospect Jesus Luzardo is no longer an Opening Day rotation option.

The much-hyped lefty has been shut down with a muscle strain in his left shoulder for four to six weeks, A’s general manager David Forst announced prior to Thursday’s Opening Series finale with the Mariners in Tokyo.

It’s an unfortunate setback for the 21-year-old Luzardo, who had hoped to push his way into the rotation despite minimal experience at the Triple-A level.

“He’s disappointed,” Forst said, “but he knows he just has to take his time with this.”

The A’s have three remaining candidates for two spots, and the out-of-options Frankie Montas and Aaron Brooks are seemingly favored over Chris Bassitt.

Luzardo likely won’t come into play until June at the earliest. That’s when the A’s also hope to have starters Jharel Cotton and A.J. Puk back from Tommy John surgery.

Oakland lost Puk — like Luzardo, a highly touted, hard-throwing lefty — around this same time a year ago amid an eerily similar situation.

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“You have to understand who we have coming back later on,” A’s manager Bob Melvin said. “And you look at the potential of the rotation next year, it looks really good. We just need to hold the fort down for a little while here, and we feel like we have the guys to do it.”

Forst said Luzardo has experienced some discomfort for a while now, but it worsened after he threw a side session in Arizona on Monday, leading him to speak up about it.

“You have to make sure it heals before he gets back there and throws,” Forst said. “It’s something we have to be patient with, because if we get him out there too soon, it’s just like any muscle strain. You run the risk of doing more damage.” Montas will pair with Brett Anderson in the Sunday’s Bay Bridge Series opener. Relievers will handle the second game, and Brooks and Bassitt will be on display in the finale.

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