Easton James Lucas (born September 23, 1996) is an American professional baseball pitcher for the Oakland Athletics of Major League Baseball (MLB). He made his MLB debut in 2023.
Amateur career
Lucas attended Grace Brethren High School in Simi Valley, California. He enrolled at Pepperdine University to play college baseball for the Pepperdine Waves. In 2018, he played collegiate summer baseball with the Wareham Gatemen of the Cape Cod Baseball League, and was named a league all-star.
Professional career
Miami Marlins
The Miami Marlins selected Lucas in the 14th round, with the 411th selection, of the 2019 Major League Baseball draft. Lucas spent his first professional season split between the rookie–level Gulf Coast League Marlins and Low–A Batavia Muckdogs. In 13 games (9 starts), Lucas registered a 3.63 ERA with 41 strikeouts in innings pitched.
Baltimore Orioles
On December 2, 2019, the Marlins traded Lucas to the Baltimore Orioles for Jonathan Villar. Lucas did not play in a game in 2020 due to the cancellation of the minor league season because of the COVID-19 pandemic. He returned to action in 2021, and spent the season with the High–A Aberdeen IronBirds. In 27 appearances, Lucas logged a 3.96 ERA with 50 strikeouts and 1 save across innings of work.
Lucas spent all of 2022 with the Double–A Bowie Baysox, recording a 4.76 ERA with 65 strikeouts in innings across 32 contests. He returned to Bowie to begin the 2023 season. On May 19, 2023, while with the Baysox, Lucas, Chayce McDermott, and Nolan Hoffman threw a combined no-hitter against the Altoona Curve. On June 5, the Orioles promoted him to the Triple-A Norfolk Tides. In 20 combined games for Bowie and Norfolk, he registered a 2.73 ERA with 37 strikeouts and 1 save in innings pitched.
Oakland Athletics
On July 19, 2023, the Orioles traded Lucas to the Oakland Athletics in exchange for Shintaro Fujinami. In 15 appearances for the Triple-A Las Vegas Aviators, he recorded a 5.63 ERA with 13 strikeouts in 16 innings pitched. On September 6, Lucas was selected to the 40-man roster and promoted to the major leagues for the first time. He made his major league debut on September 8.