OAKLAND -- Daniel Gossett has missed only a couple of starts in his professional career. So, not being able to pitch for nearly a year after undergoing Tommy John surgery on Wednesday will be foreign to him.
"This is new," he said. "It's going to be different."
Gossett became the fourth A's starter to undergo Tommy John surgery this year, joining Kendall Graveman, Jharel Cotton and A.J. Puk. Gossett said the silver lining is that he has teammates he can count on for feedback throughout the process, especially Graveman, who had the surgery the same week as Gossett.
"Being able to have these guys as resources and see how they were feeling -- the mental stuff, the physical stuff. … It's good news that I have those resources," Gossett said.
Gossett made five starts this season for the A's, going 0-3 with a 5.18 ERA. His last start was against the Royals on June 3, when he allowed one run in five innings, but was pulled early with right elbow tightness. An MRI revealed a flexor muscle strain, but he felt additional soreness when lengthening out his tosses to 90-105 feet during rehab.
"I didn't really prepare myself, but I knew that [surgery] could be part of it," Gossett said. "I mentally took a step back and realized that could be a part of it, and we'll attack it how we can."
Gossett said that Dr. Keith Meister, who performed the surgery, told him the injury turned out to be worse than what the MRI results revealed. He said that a PRP injection or stem cell treatment were also options, but that Meister "100 percent" stands behind the surgery.
It is a setback for the 25-year-old, who is trying to prove himself in the Majors in his second season.
"First, you feel for the individual," A's manager Bob Melvin said. "These guys work hard to get to the big league level, trying to establish himself and next thing you know, you're going to miss a year."
Melvin added that he has confidence in how Gossett will approach the rehab process, which can be arduous and lonely.
"Just talking to him today, looks like he's on the right frame of mind of what he has to do," Melvin said. "He's going to take it the right way. He's going to watch games, try to figure out how he can get better in the interim, and I know he's going to work hard enough to be ready along the time frame."
Injury updates
• Center fielder Mark Canha was a late scratch due to not feeling well for Saturday's game against the Tigers. Ramon Laureano started in his place, making his second straight start after his memorable Major League debut on Friday, when he delivered the walk-off hit in the 13th inning in a 1-0 win.
"If you're not feeling great, a guy like Laureano, who had a pretty nice night last night, it's not a bad option," Melvin said. "Certain days you have to balance whether or not you're going to get enough out of somebody who's not feeling great, or is it better to go a different route. Talking to Mark, we went with the latter."
• Chad Pinder, who was placed on the disabled list a week ago with a left elbow laceration after a car accident in Denver on Saturday, is expected to be ready for the Dodgers series on Tuesday.
• Matt Joyce (lumbar strain) is doing strength drills and Watkins exercises with his back, but is not participating in baseball activities.
• Andrew Triggs (right arm nerve irritation) is playing catch, while Paul Blackburn (strained right forearm) is not at that point.