Frankie Montas Suspension Puts Massive Dent in A's Small Playoff Hopes

This changes a lot for the Oakland Athletics.

Pitcher Frankie Montas has been a bonafide ace for the A's so far, compiling a 2.70 ERA with 97 strikeouts in 90 innings. Unfortunately, Oakland won't have their stud pitcher for practically the remainder of the season, as he received an 80-game ban for testing positive for Ostarine, a PED, on Friday.

This puts a massive dent in the A's small hopes for the playoffs, as now they're left without an ace on the roster. The next best pitcher in the rotation now becomes Chris Bassitt, who has been solid this year, but is by no means a game changer on the mound.

Oakland now has a lot to consider, and may even expedite the rehab process for top prospect Jesus Luzardo, who wowed in spring training prior to sustaining a strained shoulder. He'll need to increase his work load to 100 pitches, and need to have success at Triple-A before the A's consider a promotion, however.

The Athletics are currently 40-36 and are eight games behind the AL West-leading Houston Astros, but are one game out of the second wild card spot. These next few weeks will be very important for Oakland, as we'll get a chance to see if they can grit and grind their way to wins while they wait for reinforcements.

Buckle up, A's fans. You're in for a bumpy ride.