Athletics' Cotton diagnosed with UCL sprain, to get second opinion

The Oakland Athletics are crossing their fingers after receiving the results of Jharel Cotton's MRI.

Athletics manager Bob Melvin told reporters, including Jane Lee of MLB.com, on Thursday that Cotton has been diagnosed with a sprained ulnar collateral ligament in his right elbow and a strained flexor muscle.

Cotton will now seek a second opinion, Melvin told Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle. It's not clear if he will ultimately require surgery, but Melvin did not rule out that possibility entirely.

"Obviously it's not good news," the manager said, per Bleacher Report's Scott Miller.

Because of the injury, Cotton won't make his next scheduled start on Saturday. Andrew Triggs will get the ball instead, per Martin Gallegos of the Mercury News.

Cotton was in the midst of a stellar spring (3.75 ERA, 16 strikeouts) before Monday, when he left his start after four innings due to elbow soreness. The A's sent him back to Oakland, where he underwent the MRI.

The 26-year-old made 24 starts for the Athletics last season, posting a 5.58 ERA and 1.44 WHIP with 105 strikeouts. He had been in competition for one of the team's final rotation spots this season.