A’s general manager David Forst announced on Friday that star designated hitter Brent Rooker underwent extensor repair surgery on his right elbow/forearm (X link via Martín Gallegos of MLB.com). Rooker, who had a partial tear in the tendon, is expected to be fully recovered by the start of Spring Training.
Forst indicated that the slugger was playing through elbow discomfort throughout the year. That makes Rooker’s monster season even more impressive. He blasted 39 home runs with a .293/.365/.562 slash through 614 plate appearances. It was his second straight 30-homer campaign and proved that his All-Star breakout in 2023 was no anomaly. Rooker tied for fifth in the majors in longballs. Among batters with 500+ plate appearances, he ranked 17th in on-base percentage and sixth in slugging.
Teams no doubt tried to pry Rooker from the A’s leading up to the deadline. The front office made clear they had no real interest in moving him. Rooker is only entering his first season of arbitration. The A’s control him through 2027. MLBTR contributor Matt Swartz projects a modest $5.1MM salary for next year. Rooker is the only member of the A’s arbitration class who is a lock to be tendered a contract. They don’t have a single player on a guaranteed deal. There’s no financial pressure to deal him.
The A’s seem even less likely to trade Rooker on the heels of a somewhat encouraging second half. They played .500 ball after the All-Star Break. JJ Bleday, Lawrence Butler and Shea Langeliers join Rooker as part of an emerging group of offensive contributors. There’s still a lot of work to be done on the pitching staff, but there’s reason for optimism about the lineup as the team begins its three-year stint in Sacramento.
Rooker!!! So talented and overrated… A’s operations scouting team just unbelievable talent to work with little and yet have an eye for players almost no one else wanted them… And here is always a risk and yet rewards…
Agree, Rooker is a key part of Sacramento’s team next year
You mean the Athletics? They don’t have a city affiliation until they move to Vegas….or SLC..or Portland…or the Warriors owner buys them lol
Elvis may be in Las Vegas, but it’s Sacramento A’s baseball!
The troll job isn’t working as well as you think
It’ll be Sacramento’s team next year unless you’re privy to info we’re unaware of. Care to share? It is a rumor site so spill the beans, Dock.
I am not trolling, I am genuinely enthusiastic about the As being in Sacramento for three or four years. I don’t see anything wrong with my choosing to call them the Sacramento As until they go to Vegas. I understand that at first they may not officially use Sacramento in their name, but this is not like a multi-month relocation for COVID, this is multiple years. Perhaps you feel like Sacramento fans are like scabs crossing a union picket line? I get that, but respectfully see it differently.
I also understand those who are upset with Fisher, Oakland politicians and the Commissioner for not getting a deal done. Or that Fisher even owns the team. I also have no problem with players union fighting for stadium upgrades.
But when life throws you lemons, no reason for Sacramento not to enjoy a delicious glass of lemonade.
They will not be called the Sacramento A’s officially. Just the Athletics. That’s all I was getting at
Call em what you like. Have at it. I was just making mention they won’t actually carry the Sacramento name officially. It’s a beautiful name to say. Enjoy!
Rooker’s past two seasons have shown that he’s far more on the underrated side than the overrated side. He was among the games elite hitters this year but people would (wrongly) think you’re crazy if you compared him to them. Very underrated.
… Meant underrated… Sorry folks…
But he wasn’t an All Star this season despite having a better 1st half than last season. All Star games are ridiculous and pointless.
It’s always been a popularity contest so I don’t know why fans put so much stock into it. The worst MLB decision was making game results determine WS homefield advantage for their respective league. Glad that is over with.
It still generates interest, more than any other sports All-Star games, but mostly it generates revenue that helps pay for the player’s retirement fund. It no longer has the meaning it once did, but the revenue generated means it still has purpose. MLB is a business.
That’s why I never really care when people bring up things like past all star appearances or gold glove wins to try and boost a point they’re trying to make. It’s just a popularity contest where a lot of deserving players get left out. Rooker was a stud this year, even though there won’t be any indication of that on the far right of his BRef page.
I only bring up ASG appearances for HoF debates here bc it’s a criteria some voters arbitrarily factor in for players.
He crushed it on the road this year, hitting 24 HRs and slugging over .600. Put him in a minor league park, hot weather, in Sacramento in 2025? Mr. Judge, you might have a challenger for next year’s HR crown!
Rooker is going to crush at least 50 bombs with that minor league park, I agree.
The field itself isn’t smaller just the capacity. You don’t move up to bigger fields in MLB. The PCL is a hitters league due to the elevation of several cities and West Sacramento isn’t one of them. The home run production will be similar to Oakland
There’s little to no marine layer and humidity…it’s going to play more like a Midwest park than a Bay Area one…
Maybe because it’s in the valley right next to the river. My point was the park itself isn’t some bandbox like the other guy was suggesting
This should keep with the team til at least July
got to squeeze the lemon dry!!