Jacob Wilson returns to action nearly a month after suffering a forearm fracture. The A’s activated the rookie shortstop from the 10-day injured list. He’s hitting fifth against Seattle starter Bryan Woo. The A’s optioned Max Schuemann to Triple-A Las Vegas in a corresponding move. They also made a couple changes on the pitching staff. Eduarniel Núñez and Joey Estes are up from Triple-A as Ben Bowden (lat strain) and Jack Perkins (shoulder strain) land on the 15-day injured list.
Wilson’s return is the most significant of those moves. The 2023 sixth overall pick had an outstanding first half. He’s hitting .312/.354/.439 with 10 longballs and 17 doubles. Wilson had struggled a bit in July but hit .323 or better in each of the season’s first three months. His return won’t mean much in the standings with the A’s sitting 11 games below .500, but they’re obviously a much better team when he’s in the lineup.
At the time of his injury, Wilson was the frontrunner for American League Rookie of the Year. Teammate Nick Kurtz has mashed his way to that spot and probably has the award all but secure at this point. Wilson still easily leads MLB rookies with 115 hits. He has a shot to finish in second for the award, though Boston’s Roman Anthony and the Yankees’ Will Warren are among those who also have reasonable arguments for that spot.
Anthony would earn a full year of service if he manages a top two finish. While he already signed a long-term extension with the Red Sox, that’d be important for his earning power considering his deal has significant escalators dependent on his Rookie of the Year placement. The ROY finish is less meaningful for Wilson. He has been on the MLB roster since Opening Day and will get a full service year either way. He cannot earn the A’s an extra draft choice by winning the award, however, because he entered this year with more than 60 days of service. Wilson spent five weeks on the MLB injured list late last season with a hamstring strain, which is why he had that much service time while remaining Rookie of the Year eligible.
Darell Hernaiz was called up when Wilson went on the shelf. The 24-year-old has turned in a solid .261/.337/.420 slash in 20 games. That’s enough to hold his roster spot. Hernaiz had played shortstop while Wilson was down but moves to second base tonight. He’ll probably get everyday run there, kicking impending free agent Luis Urías to the bench.
wilsons too young to be banged up all the time
extremely talented. might win batting title next yr
Getting nailed in the forearm with a fastball doesn’t go along with your narrative of “too young to be banged up all the time”.
Cut back on the ketamine.
Thomas Jefferson one said it is better to keep your mouth closed and let people think you are a fool then to open it and remove all doubt.
I’ll add this. Wilson 1st half was spectacular. His second is more of what we were thinking from him coming into this year
Wilson has spent more time on the DL since his callup in ‘24 than he has on the field. In fact he went on the DL in his major lg debut, after 1 plate appearance.
And with that, ya’ll are muted
The only thing that tells me is he is injury prone you do do bird. Since when has it been called the DL anyways?
Will Warren mentioned but not Royals Lefty pitcher Noah Cameron?
Cameron has 2.53 ERA after 18 Starts.
Warren has a 4.75 ERA but gets mentioned simply because he plays for the Yankees.
Wasn’t really meant to be an exhaustive list. I just grabbed Warren offhandedly because he’s 30 strikeouts clear of any other AL rookie pitcher and has been in the rotation all year. You could make an argument for Cameron, sure. Not denying that he’s been really good.
I think there’s a decent case for Jacob Lopez as the top pitcher too. He’s second behind Warren in strikeouts, 3.28 ERA in the most hitter-friendly park in the AL. Can’t imagine he gets much support as the third-best rookie on his own team though. Ultimately think it’ll be Kurtz, Anthony and Wilson in some order anyway.
So he grabbed a Yankee as a reference point because it was convenient rather than, I don’t know, undertaking a wee bit of research in preparation for reporting on what’s happening among a relatively finite rookie class. Okay, then, good to hear. Think he’s ready for that internship on Sunday Night baseball
Right. Cameron and Lopez both have had better seasons than Warren and it’s not even close lol.
Thanks for the article, Anthony.