Athletics Place Brent Rooker On Injured List
The Athletics announced today that outfielder/designated hitter Brent Rooker has been placed on the 10-day injured list due to an oblique strain. Infielder/outfielder Zack Gelof has been recalled as the corresponding move.
It’s not an especially surprising development. Rooker appeared to injure himself on a swing yesterday, reaching for his side. He was removed from the game with the A’s announcing his issue as right flank discomfort. Gelof was scratched from the Triple-A lineup, which suggested he would likely be called up to take Rooker’s place.
The A’s haven’t announced how long they expect Rooker to be out but obliques can be pesky injuries for baseball players since they play a notable role in rotating the body, which is important for swinging and pitching. Rooker is out to a slow start this year, with a .146/.245/.293 line, but in a small sample of 49 plate appearances. In a much larger sample of 1,839 plate appearances from 2023 to 2025, he hit 99 home runs and slashed .268/.343/.509.
The one benefit for the A’s is greater positional flexibility, as Rooker is usually the designated hitter. They can now use that spot to move guys in and out, lightening their workloads from time to time. Gelof has only played second base in his big league career but has been dabbling with some outfield work lately. The A’s have mostly been using Jeff McNeil at second. He’s the oldest regular position player, so perhaps he will get some more time as the DH.
Gelof has shown power in his big league career but has also been punched out in a third of his plate appearances. He’ll need to get that down to become a viable big leaguer. For what it’s worth, his minor league season has started well. He has only been punched out at a 13% clip in his small sample of 54 trips to the plate, which has helped him produce a monster .366/.519/.732 line. No one should expect him to hit like that in the majors but any improvement in the strikeout department should be a big help.
If the A’s want to try him in the outfield, their current mix includes Tyler Soderstrom, Denzel Clarke, Lawrence Butler and Carlos Cortes. Using Rooker’s vacated DH spot could allow the club to potentially spread some at-bats to that group and Gelof.
Photo courtesy of Wendell Cruz, Imagn Images
A’s Notes: Rooker, Ginn, Perkins
The Athletics are sending Brent Rooker for imaging tomorrow, writes Martín Gallegos of MLB.com. The slugger gestured toward his right side/hip area on a foul ball in the first inning of today’s win over the Yankees. Rooker exited the game after a brief conversation with trainers and skipper Mark Kotsay.
The preliminary diagnosis is right flank discomfort. The obvious concern is a potential oblique strain. Those usually require multi-week absences for hitters. Even moderate oblique strains can cost more than a month. The A’s will have a better idea tomorrow whether that’s in play.
Rooker has had a tough start to the season. He’s hitting .146 with 17 strikeouts in 49 trips to the plate. He did have a monster game against the Astros on Sunday, slugging both of his home runs and driving in six of his eight total RBI. He capped that game with a three-run, walk-off shot in the tenth inning off Bryan Abreu.
If Rooker needs an injured list stint, infielder Zack Gelof seems the favorite to replace him on the roster. The A’s scratched him from today’s Triple-A lineup. Gelof has been on an absolute tear to begin the minor league season, hitting .366 with a .519 on-base mark and four home runs over 54 plate appearances.
Gelof is primarily a second baseman and has gotten some outfield work this spring and in the minors. If Rooker misses time, the A’s could give 34-year-old second baseman Jeff McNeil some DH reps. Gelof or Carlos Cortes could grab some extra right field work if the A’s want to mix in a few semi-rest days for Lawrence Butler after last fall’s knee surgery.
The A’s took two of three from the Yankees this week. They’re staying in New York for a weekend set against the Mets. Former Mets draftee J.T. Ginn will start tomorrow’s series opener against Clay Holmes. It’ll be Ginn’s first start of the season after three relief appearances. The A’s needed a new fifth starter after optioning struggling righty Luis Morales earlier in the week. Ginn is seemingly getting the first opportunity.
Jack Perkins was recalled from Triple-A Las Vegas before Thursday’s game, with Michael Kelly optioned out in a corresponding move. Perkins is up for the first time this season and seemingly ticketed for the long relief role which Ginn had played. The righty has worked 7 2/3 innings over three Triple-A appearances this year, striking out nine but issuing seven walks. Perkins started four of his first 12 big league outings last season. He turned in a 4.19 earned run average through 38 2/3 frames.
A’s Notes: Muncy, Gelof, Hoglund
The A’s entered spring training without a set option at third base, but 23-year-old Max Muncy has begun to separate himself from the pack, writes Martin Gallegos of MLB.com. There’s no shortage of coincidence in the A’s finding themselves with a hit-over-glove prospect named Max Muncy at third base for the second time in the past decade, but the hope now is that the younger Muncy (no relation to the older) can solidify the hot corner.
A first-round pick back in 2021, the now-23-year-old Muncy hit .325/.397/.504 in Triple-A last season. He struggled badly in 220 major league plate appearances but had a productive stint in the Arizona Fall League and is absolutely mashing this spring: .419/.526/.839 with three homers and as many walks as strikeouts (seven) in 38 plate appearances. The question surrounding Muncy isn’t hit bat but whether he can handle third base from a defensive standpoint.
“Our biggest focus right now is on the defense,” manager Mark Kotsay tells Gallegos. “We’ve been working really hard with him in those areas, and we’ve seen some improvement. We’re going to continue to follow that progress.” Readers will want to check out Gallegos’ piece in full, as he also chats with Muncy extensively about some of the swing/approach changes he implemented in the Fall League and about the challenges of transitioning from shortstop to third base (a move that’s often taken for granted).
Meanwhile, another formerly touted young Athletics infielder, Zack Gelof, made his Cactus League debut this week, writes Courtney Hollmon of MLB.com. Gelof went 2-for-4 with a double in his first game action since suffering a dislocated shoulder on a diving play at second base last year. That injury ended his season, but Gelof’s 2025 campaign never really got off the ground thanks to a hamate fracture and a stress fracture in his ribcage. He played in only 30 games with 101 plate appearances last season, slashing just .174/.230/.272.
It’s easy to write off the 2025 campaign as one ruined by injury, but Gelof already faced some questions this time last year. Was he the dynamic rookie we saw in 2023, when he hit .267/.337/.504 with 14 homers and 14 steals in only 60 games, or was he the lesser version of that player we saw in 2024, when he hit .211/.270/.362 with 17 homers, 25 steals and a sky-high 34.4% strikeout rate?
Gelof, still just 26 years old, is hoping to get back to that 2023 form but now has a less certain role on the club. The A’s acquired Jeff McNeil from the Mets this offseason and are plugging him in at second base. Muncy is the front-runner over at third base, a position Gelof hasn’t played since 2022. The former second-round pick tells Hollomon that he’s been working out both in the infield and in the outfield as he hopes to improve his versatility and win a spot back on the roster. Gelof still has a pair of minor league option years remaining, so he could open the season in Triple-A if the A’s want to get him more exposure at multiple positions in the upper minors.
Elsewhere in A’s camp, there’s more unwelcome news on oft-injured righty Gunnar Hoglund. The 26-year-old righty, who headlined the Athletics’ return in the trade sending Matt Chapman to Toronto, made his big league debut last season but pitched just 12 games between Triple-A and the majors. He was recovering from Tommy John surgery at the time of the trade and missed the final three months last year due to a hip impingement.
This spring, Hoglund has been dogged by a knee injury early in camp. He’s now also dealing with a back issue, per Gallegos. Hoglund hasn’t gotten into a spring game yet and doesn’t appear likely to do so before the season opens. He was likely bound for Triple-A even if healthy, but another pair of injuries is disheartening for the 2021 first-rounder (selected six picks ahead of Muncy and 41 ahead of Gelof).
Hoglund pitched well in Triple-A last season and enjoyed two terrific starts to begin his MLB career (11 1/3 innings with three runs on 11 hits and one walk alongside 10 strikeouts). He was rocked for 20 runs over his next 21 frames, however, including an eight-run drubbing at the hands of the Blue Jays before landing on the injured list for the remainder of the season.
A’s Could Get Zack Gelof Outfield Reps In Spring Training
The A’s trade pickup of Jeff McNeil solidified second base, where the veteran is expected to play regularly. That pushed Zack Gelof out of the projected starting lineup. The former second-round pick had an impressive half-season as a rookie back in 2023 but has struggled with strikeouts and injuries over the past two years.
Gelof enters camp slightly behind schedule after undergoing surgery to fix a dislocated left shoulder at the end of last season. Gelof is a little delayed in his ramp-up offensively, but Martín Gallegos of MLB.com writes that he can participate fully in defensive drills. He’s not only taking those at second base but in center field to prepare for a potential utility role. Manager Mark Kotsay said that Gelof could see outfield work in games this spring.
The 26-year-old hasn’t played anywhere other than second base in a major league game. Gelof has more than 2000 innings over 237 MLB appearances at the keystone, grading as a slightly above-average defender. The only other position at which he has any significant experience is third base. He played the hot corner at the University of Virginia and during his first year or so in the minor leagues. He didn’t play the outfield at all in college and has nine innings there as a professional — one Double-A game as a center fielder in 2022.
Gelof is a good athlete and an above-average runner. The A’s won’t be able to tell how his instincts and reads will play in the outfield without getting him reps out there. Spring Training is the best time to experiment with different roles. It’d certainly be a big help to Gelof’s chances of making the roster if he’s capable of building defensive versatility. Most teams only carry four position players on the bench to maximize a 13-man pitching staff. Using one of those roster spots on a player who only plays second base isn’t ideal. Gelof has a pair of minor league options and would head back to Triple-A Las Vegas if he doesn’t break camp.
The A’s have Tyler Soderstrom and Lawrence Butler in the corner outfield. They’re likely to give Denzel Clarke the first opportunity in center field. Clarke is a phenomenal defender but has massive strikeout rates, so the A’s may not want to live with that tradeoff all season. Gelof isn’t likely to push Clarke for everyday playing time in center. He’s only a year removed from leading the American League in strikeouts himself, and he’s almost certainly not going to defend at the same level that Clarke does. There’s an opening for a fourth outfielder, while Gelof’s old third base position is also up for grabs in camp. Waiver claim Andy Ibáñez joins holdovers Max Muncy, Brett Harris and Darell Hernaiz in that mix.
Players Who Could Move To The 60-Day IL Once Spring Training Begins
Most of the clubs in the league currently have a full 40-man roster, which means that just about every transaction requires a corresponding move. Some extra roster flexibility is on the way, however. The 60-day injured list goes away five days after the World Series but comes back when pitchers and catchers report to spring training.
Most clubs have a slightly earlier report date this year due to the World Baseball Classic. Last year, the Cubs and Dodgers had earlier report dates because they were had an earlier Opening Day than everyone else as part of the Tokyo Series. Gavin Stone was the first player to land on the 60-day IL in 2025, landing there on February 11th. According to MLB.com, every club has a report date from February 10th to 13th this year.
It’s worth pointing out that the 60 days don’t start being counted until Opening Day. Although a team can transfer a player to the 60-day IL quite soon, they will likely only do so if they aren’t expecting the player back until late May or beyond. A team also must have a full 40-man roster in order to move a player to the 60-day IL.
There are still plenty of free agents still out there, including big names like Framber Valdez, Zac Gallen, Justin Verlander, Chris Bassitt, Lucas Giolito, and more. Perhaps the extra roster flexibility will spur some deals to come together. It could also increase the ability of some clubs to make waiver claims or small trades for players who have been designated for assignment. If a team wants to pass a player through waivers, perhaps they will try to do so in the near future before the extra roster flexibility opens up.
Here are some players who are expected to miss some significant time or who have uncertain recovery timelines from 2025 injuries.
Angels: Anthony Rendon, Ben Joyce
Rendon’s situation is unique. He underwent hip surgery a year ago and missed the entire 2025 season. He is still on the roster and signed through 2026. He and the club have agreed to a salary-deferment plan and he is not expected to be in spring training with the club. His recovery timeline is unclear, but general manager Perry Minasian said earlier this month that Rendon would be “rehabbing at home,” per Alden González of ESPN. If they were going to release him, they likely would have done so by now, so he seems destined for the injured list.
Joyce underwent shoulder surgery in May and missed the remainder of the 2025 season. His current status is unclear. In August, he told Jeff Fletcher of the Orange County Register that he didn’t know if he would be ready for spring training. He would only land on the 60-day IL if the Halos don’t expect him back before the end of May.
Astros: Hayden Wesneski, Ronel Blanco, Brandon Walter
All three of these pitchers underwent Tommy John surgery in 2025. Wesneski was first, with his surgery taking place on May 23rd. Blanco followed shortly thereafter in early June. They will likely be targeting returns in the second half. Walter’s procedure was in September, meaning he will likely miss the entire season. All three should be on the 60-day IL as soon as Houston needs roster spots for other transactions.
Athletics: Zack Gelof
Gelof underwent surgery to repair a dislocated shoulder in September, with the expectation of him potentially being healthy for spring training. At the end of December, general manager David Forst told Martín Gallegos of MLB.com that Gelof would be “a little bit behind” in spring. He would only land on the 60-day IL if the A’s think he’ll be out through late May.
Blue Jays: Jake Bloss
Bloss underwent surgery on the ulnar collateral ligament in his elbow in May. He was on optional assignment at the time and stayed in the minors for the rest of the season. Going into 2026, the Jays could keep him in the minors but they could also call him up and place him on the major league IL. Doing so would open up a roster spot but would also mean giving Bloss big league pay and service time.
Braves: Ha-Seong Kim, AJ Smith-Shawver, Danny Young, Joe Jiménez
Kim recently fell on some ice and injured his hand. He underwent surgery last week, and the expected recovery time is four to five months. The shorter end of that window only goes to mid-May, so perhaps Atlanta will hold off on making a decision until they watch his recovery, especially since they have other guys with clearer injury timelines.
Smith-Shawver underwent Tommy John surgery in June, so he shouldn’t be back until the second half and is therefore a lock for the 60-day IL once Atlanta needs a spot. Young underwent the same procedure in May, so he should also be bound for the IL.
Jimenez is more of a question mark. He missed the 2025 season due to left knee surgery. He required a “cleanup” procedure on that knee towards the end of the season. His timeline isn’t currently clear.
Brewers: None.
Cardinals: None.
Cubs: Justin Steele
Steele will probably be a bit of a borderline case. He underwent UCL surgery in April but it wasn’t a full Tommy John surgery. The Cubs described it as a “revision repair”. Steele had undergone Tommy John in 2017 as a minor leaguer.
Since Steele’s more recent procedure was a bit less serious than a full Tommy John, the club gave an estimated return timeline of about one year, putting him in line to potentially return fairly early in 2026. Given his importance to the Cubs, they would only put him on the 60-day IL if his timeline changes and he’s certain to be out through late May.
Diamondbacks: Corbin Burnes, Lourdes Gurriel Jr., A.J. Puk, Justin Martínez, Blake Walston, Tyler Locklear
The Snakes were hit hard by the injury bug in 2025. Burnes, Walston and Martínez all underwent Tommy John surgery. Burnes and Martínez had their procedures in June, so they should be targeting second-half returns and be easy calls for the 60-day IL. Walston would be a bit more borderline because his surgery was around Opening Day in late March last year. Puk had the slightly less significant internal brace procedure in June, so he could also be a borderline case.
Turning to the position players, Gurriel tore the anterior cruciate ligament in his right knee in September. He required surgery which came with a return timeline of nine to ten months, so he should be out until around the All-Star break.
Locklear should be back sooner. He underwent surgery in October to address a ligament tear in his elbow and a labrum injury in his shoulder. The hope at the time of that procedure was that he would be game ready to go on a rehab assignment around Opening Day and would therefore miss only about the first month. He would therefore only hit the 60-day IL if he doesn’t meet that timeline for some reason.
Dodgers: Brock Stewart
Stewart underwent shoulder debridement surgery in September. His timeline for 2026 isn’t especially clear. He will likely start the season on the IL but it’s unclear if he’ll be out long enough to warrant landing on the 60-day version.
Giants: Randy Rodríguez, Jason Foley
Rodríguez underwent Tommy John surgery in September, so he’s a lock for the 60-day IL and might even miss the entire 2026 campaign. Foley’s status is a bit more murky. He underwent shoulder surgery in May while with the Tigers. Detroit non-tendered him at season’s end, which allowed the Giants to sign him. He is expected back at some point mid-season. The Giants may want to get more clarity on his progress during camp before deciding on a move to the IL.
Guardians: Andrew Walters, David Fry
Neither of these guys is a lock for the 60-day IL. Walters had surgery to repair his right lat tendon in June with a recovery estimate of eight to ten months. Fry underwent surgery in October due to a deviated septum and a fractured nose suffered when a Tarik Skubal pitch hit him in the face. His timeline is unclear. It’s possible one or both could be healthy by Opening Day, so relevant updates may be forthcoming when camps open.
Mariners: Logan Evans
Evans required UCL surgery just last week and will miss the entire 2026 season. He was on optional assignment at the end of 2025, so the Mariners could keep him in the minors. Calling him up and putting him on the big league 60-day IL would open up a 40-man spot but would also involve Evans receiving big league pay and service time for the year.
Marlins: Ronny Henriquez
Henriquez underwent internal brace surgery in December and will miss the entire 2026 season, so he’s a lock for the 60-day IL.
Mets: Tylor Megill, Reed Garrett, Dedniel Núñez
All three of these pitchers underwent Tommy John surgery late in 2025 and are likely to miss the entire 2026 season, making them locks for the 60-day IL. Núñez went under the knife in July, followed by Megill in September and Garrett in October.
Nationals: Trevor Williams, DJ Herz
Williams underwent internal brace surgery in July. That’s a slightly less serious variation of Tommy John but still usually requires about a year of recovery. Herz underwent a full Tommy John procedure in April. Since that surgery usually requires 14 months or longer to come back, both pitchers are likely out until around the All-Star break and therefore bound for the 60-day IL once the Nats need some roster spots.
Orioles: Félix Bautista
Bautista underwent shoulder surgery in August, and the club announced his recovery timeline as 12 months. He’s a lock for the 60-day IL and may miss the entire season if his recovery doesn’t go smoothly.
Padres: Yu Darvish, Jhony Brito, Jason Adam
Darvish underwent UCL surgery in November and will miss the entire 2026 season. Instead of going on the IL, he may just retire, but it seems there are some contractual complications to be ironed out since he is signed through 2028.
Brito and Adam could be borderline cases. Brito underwent internal brace surgery in May of last year. Some pitchers can return from that procedure in about a year. Adam ruptured a tendon in his left quad in early September. In November, he seemed to acknowledge that he wouldn’t be ready for Opening Day. As of now, a trip to the 60-day IL seems unlikely unless he suffers a setback.
Pirates: Jared Jones
Jones required UCL surgery on May 21st of last year. The Bucs announced an expected return timeline of 10 to 12 months. The shorter end of that window would allow Jones to return fairly early in 2026. If it looks like he’ll be on the longer end of that time frame, he could wind up on the 60-day IL.
Phillies: Zack Wheeler
Wheeler underwent surgery to address thoracic outlet syndrome in September, with a timeline of six to eight months. As of now, it seems unlikely Wheeler would require a trip to the 60-day IL, but it depends on how his ramp-up goes. He’s also approaching his 36th birthday, and the Phils could slow-play his recovery.
Rangers: Cody Bradford
Bradford required internal brace surgery in late June of last year. He recently said he’s targeting a return in May. That’s a pretty aggressive timeline, but perhaps the Rangers will delay moving him to the 60-day IL until that plan is strictly ruled out.
Rays: Manuel Rodríguez
Rodriguez underwent flexor tendon surgery in July of last year and is targeting a return in June of this year, so he should be a lock for the 60-day IL.
Reds: Brandon Williamson, Julian Aguiar
Both of these pitchers required Tommy John surgeries late in 2024, Williamson in September and Aguiar in October. They each missed the entire 2025 season. Presumably, they are recovered by now and could be healthy going into 2026, but there haven’t been any recent public updates.
Red Sox: Tanner Houck, Triston Casas
Houck is the most clear-cut case for Boston. He had Tommy John surgery in August of 2025 and will miss most or perhaps all of the 2026 season. Casas is more borderline. He’s still recovering from a ruptured left patellar tendon suffered in May of last year. It doesn’t seem like he will be ready by Opening Day, but his timeline apart from that is murky.
Rockies: Jeff Criswell, Kris Bryant
Criswell required Tommy John surgery in early March of last year. With the normal 14-month recovery timeline, he could be back in May. Anything slightly longer than that would make him a candidate for the 60-day IL. Bryant’s timeline is very difficult to discern. He has hardly played in recent years due to various injuries and is now dealing with chronic symptoms related to lumbar degenerative disc disease. Updates will likely be provided once camp opens.
Royals: Alec Marsh
Marsh missed 2025 due to shoulder problems and is slated to miss 2026 as well after undergoing labrum surgery in November.
Tigers: Jackson Jobe
Jobe required Tommy John surgery in June of last year. He will miss most or perhaps even all of the 2026 season.
Twins: None.
White Sox: Ky Bush, Drew Thorpe, Prelander Berroa
These three hurlers all required Tommy John surgery about a year ago, Bush in February, followed by Berroa and Thorpe in March. Given the normal 14-month recovery period, any of them could return early in 2026, but they could also end up on the 60-day IL if the timeline pushes slightly beyond that.
Yankees: Clarke Schmidt, Gerrit Cole, Carlos Rodón, Anthony Volpe
Schmidt is the only lock of this group. He required UCL surgery in July of last year and should miss the first half of the 2026 season. Cole is recovering from Tommy John surgery performed in March of last year. His target is expected to be late May/early June, so he has a decent chance to hit the 60-day. However, given his importance to the club, the Yankees probably won’t put him there until it’s certain he won’t be back by the middle of May.
Rodón had surgery in October to remove loose bodies in his elbow. He’s expected to be back with the big league club in late April or early May, so he would only hit the 60-day IL if his timeline is pushed. Volpe required shoulder surgery in October. He’s not expected to be ready by Opening Day, but his timeline beyond that doesn’t seem concrete.
Photo courtesy of Allan Henry, Imagn Images
A’s Likely To Rely On Internal Options At Third Base
The A’s added to their infield with this week’s acquisition of Jeff McNeil from the Mets. The A’s sent a lottery ticket pitching prospect (Yordan Rodriguez) while taking on $10MM of the $17.75MM remaining on the veteran’s contract.
Adding help at one of second or third base had been on the A’s checklist since the beginning of the offseason. It seems they’re content with one outside pickup. General manager David Forst told Martín Gallegos of MLB.com that the A’s view McNeil as their primary second baseman. They’re planning to leave the third base job open for a Spring Training competition among a few players already on the roster.
“We’ll probably look internally at third base,” Forst told Gallegos. “Max Muncy did a really nice job there in his limited time. Darell Hernaiz has shown he can play the position. Brett Harris has a lot of experience at third base. So I like our internal options.” Forst didn’t specifically mention Zack Gelof, who is questionable for the start of exhibition play as he works back from September shoulder surgery. Gelof was a college third baseman but hasn’t played anywhere other than second since he reached Triple-A at the end of the 2022 season.
None of Muncy, Harris or Hernaiz showed a lot in limited big league playing time. Harris was the best of the group offensively, hitting .274 with a .349 on-base percentage. That came in just 84 plate appearances, and he was a .146/.276/.262 hitter in a similar amount of playing time as a rookie the year before. Muncy struck out in 31% of his first 220 trips to the plate in the big leagues, leading to a .214/.259/.379 slash. Hernaiz made a ton of contact with below-average exit velocities. He only managed two homers and a .231/.292/.306 line over 197 trips to the plate. Gelof showed some promise when he hit 14 homers in 69 games as a rookie in 2023. He led the American League in strikeouts in his first full season and battled injuries for most of the ’25 campaign, dropping him down the depth chart.
It’s one of the weakest third base groups in MLB on paper. 19-year-old top prospect Leo De Vries is likely to open the season in Double-A. It’s not out of the question that he forces his way to the big leagues before the end of the year, especially if the A’s hang around the playoff bubble. That won’t be a consideration out of the gate, so the A’s will need someone from their group of upper level infielders to take a step forward.
If the A’s wanted to go outside the organization, they could probably get a veteran like Yoán Moncada or Ramón Urías on a cheap one-year deal closer to Spring Training. That doesn’t appear to be the current plan. The McNeil acquisition pushed their projected payroll to $87MM, as calculated by RosterResource. That’s $12MM above where they opened the ’25 season. They’ve yet to make any moves to upgrade a rotation which was 27th in ERA and 25th in strikeout percentage. Forst reiterated to Gallegos that acquiring a starter is the “first focus right now.”
A’s Could Explore Second/Third Base Markets
The A’s have around two-thirds of their starting lineup in place going into the offseason. While starting pitching should be the primary focus, they have some questions on the infield that may need to be addressed externally.
Second baseman Zack Gelof underwent surgery after dislocating his left shoulder with two weeks remaining in the regular season. Meanwhile, the team announced last week that third baseman Brett Harris underwent surgery to repair the UCL in his left thumb (link via Jason Burke of Sports Illustrated). The injuries cloud what were already the two weakest positions in the lineup heading into the winter.
Martín Gallegos of MLB.com writes that Harris is expected to be ready for Spring Training. General manager David Forst was noncommittal about Gelof’s timeline, telling Gallegos that they’ll need to “wait further in the offseason to know exactly what [that] is.” It doesn’t appear that Gelof is locked into the starting second base job even once he’s healthy. Forst told Gallegos that the A’s will “be open to a lot of possibilities” at each of second and third base.
That presumably includes looking outside the organization. The A’s don’t have great internal options at either spot. Darell Hernaiz got some late-season run at all three infield positions to the left of first base (including everyday shortstop work while Jacob Wilson was out with a broken arm). Hernaiz put a lot of balls in play but didn’t hit the ball hard enough to make an impact, batting .231/.292/.306 across 197 plate appearances.
[Related: A’s Offseason Outlook]
Former first-round pick Max Muncy had a tough rookie season, hitting .214/.259/.379 over 220 trips to the plate. He struck out in more than 30% of his plate appearances and lost most of the second half to a broken hand. The 27-year-old Harris got regular third base reps over the final six weeks of the season. He hit .274 with a .349 on-base percentage but didn’t connect on a home run in 32 games. Max Schuemann is the only other utility infielder on the 40-man roster. He’s coming off a .197/.295/.273 showing and isn’t guaranteed to hold his roster spot all winter.
Gelof has shown the most promise of that group. The former second-round pick hit 14 homers with a .267/.337/.504 slash line over 69 games as a rookie in 2023. He has followed that up with consecutive tough years. Gelof led the American League with 188 strikeouts in ’24, causing his average (.211) and on-base percentage (.270) to plummet.
Injuries limited him to 30 MLB games this past season. He sustained a wrist fracture on a Spring Training hit-by-pitch and underwent hamate surgery. A stress reaction in his ribs set him back when he was on a rehab assignment six weeks later. Gelof didn’t make his season debut until July 4. The A’s optioned him to Triple-A a week later and kept him in the minors until late August. He got a few weeks of run before suffering the dislocated shoulder. While the stop and start nature of his season didn’t do him any favors, Gelof’s contact issues worsened. He struck out 46 times in 101 plate appearances while whiffing on more than 40% of his swings.
Top prospect Leo De Vries, the centerpiece of the Mason Miller return, may be the long-term answer at second base. De Vries has come up as a shortstop but could eventually move to the other side of the bag to play alongside Wilson in the middle infield. He’s coming off a .255/.355/.451 showing as an 18-year-old between High-A and Double-A. De Vries has a chance to get to the big leagues next year, but it’s hard to imagine the A’s would carry him on the Opening Day roster. He only has 21 games at Double-A and has no Triple-A experience. A second half debut is more reasonable and would still be remarkable for a player who turned 19 two weeks ago.
The A’s will want to keep one long-term infield spot available for De Vries. Their needs at second and third base mean they could pursue a controllable infielder at one spot while looking for a stopgap at the other. Brendan Donovan and Ozzie Albies each have two years of club control remaining and could be available on the trade market. Josh Jung and Alec Bohm are change-of-scenery candidates at third base. Jung has three years of remaining control and is projected at a $2.9MM salary, though it’s possible the Rangers would prefer to trade him outside the division. Bohm is projected for a salary in the $10MM range for his last arbitration season.
This isn’t a great class for free agent infielders. The A’s obviously aren’t signing Bo Bichette or Alex Bregman. Each of Jorge Polanco, Gleyber Torres and Ha-Seong Kim (if he opts out) could be available for two or three years, but they’re all going to command eight-figure salaries on an annual basis. Willi Castro, Yoán Moncada, Luis Rengifo and Isiah Kiner-Falefa will be available on one-year or cheap two-year deals at most. Signing someone from that group would aim a little higher than last winter’s deals with Luis Urías and Gio Urshela but would be broadly similar pickups.
Zack Gelof To Undergo Season-Ending Shoulder Surgery
SEPTEMBER 20, 4:12pm: Martin Gallegos of MLB.com writes that Gelof will head to Los Angeles to undergo shoulder surgery next week, and that he “should” have enough time this offseason to recover and return for Spring Training in 2026.
SEPTEMBER 20, 2:41pm: As expected, the A’s placed Gelof on the 10-day injured list today. Left-hander Sean Newcomb was also placed on the 15-day IL due to left elbow inflammation, so Newcomb’s 2025 season will also come to an end. To fill the two roster spots, the Athletics called up right-hander Scott McGough from Triple-A, and activated infielder Max Muncy from the 10-day IL.
Newcomb quietly posted a 2.73 ERA, 23.3% strikeout rate, and 7.9% walk rate over 92 1/3 combined innings with the Red Sox and Athletics in 2025. He began the season in Boston’s rotation before being shifted into a long relief role, and the Sox then designated Newcomb for assignment in May and traded him to the A’s. Assuming his elbow issue doesn’t lead to anything serious, Newcomb should be in line to land a guaranteed big league deal in free agency this winter.
SEPTEMBER 19: Athletics second baseman Zack Gelof suffered a dislocated left shoulder in tonight’s 4-3 win over the Pirates, manager Mark Kotsay told MLB.com’s Martin Gallegos and other reporters during the postgame media session. Gelof hurt himself diving for a Bryan Reynolds grounder that ended up going for a deflected double, and had to be removed from the game immediately following the play.
The A’s will place Gelof on the 10-day injured list tomorrow, and needless to say, Gelof’s 2025 season is now officially over. The dislocated shoulder is a rough ending to a season already marked by notable injuries for the 25-year-old infielder, as hamate bone surgery and then a stress reaction in his ribcage prevented Gelof from making his 2025 debut until July 4.
From there, Gelof had just two hits over his first 28 plate appearances before the A’s opted to send him back down to Triple-A. Gelof was recalled in late August but hasn’t done much better, posting a .606 OPS over 71 PA between August 25 and September 18. For the season as a whole, Gelof has a miserable 35 wRC+ from a .174/.230/.272 slash line and two home runs over 101 plate appearances.
This makes it back-to-back disappointing seasons for Gelof in the wake of his big 2023 rookie season. That seeming breakout made it look like Gelof (a second-round pick in 2021) could be the Athletics’ second baseman of the future, but he followed up with an 82 wRC+ and a league-high 188 strikeouts over 547 PA during the 2024 campaign.
More will be known on the severity of Gelof’s dislocation in the coming days, and in a worst-case scenario, his availability for the start of Spring Training may be in jeopardy. Even if healthy, Gelof cannot be viewed as a lock for an everyday job even in 2026, let alone over the long term. With highly-touted shortstop prospect Leo De Vries now in the farm system, the Athletics’ future plans may now have De Vries at short and Jacob Wilson moving to second base, so Gelof will need to get healthy and re-emerge in 2026 to get himself back in the picture.
Athletics Designate Luis Urías For Assignment
The Athletics announced today that second baseman Zack Gelof has been recalled from Triple-A Las Vegas. Fellow infielder Luis Urías has been designated for assignment as the corresponding move.
Urías, 28, signed with the A’s in the offseason. The one-year deal guaranteed him $1.1MM, with some bonuses based on plate appearances also in the deal. There was a time where it looked like that deal was going to work out quite well for the A’s. Urías hit .245/.345/.490 through the end of April, with that line translating to a 127 wRC+. In May, his production dropped a bit but was still passable. He still had a decent .244/.333/.407 line and 105 wRC+ by the start of June.
Unfortunately, things have soured from there. Since the end of May, Urías has a .217/.298/.276 line and 63 wRC+ in 171 plate appearances. With Urías an impending free agent and the A’s out of contention, he was a logical trade candidate. However, that dip in performance presumably tanked his trade value, as the A’s didn’t end up flipping him anywhere. A stint on the injured list in July for a right hamstring strain presumably didn’t help.
As Urías has been slumping, Gelof has been getting back on track in Triple-A. His 2025 season was initially thrown off course by injuries. He started the season on the IL due to hamate surgery. While trying to work his way back from that, he suffered a stress reaction in his ribs. He was reinstated from the IL in July but then hit .080/.143/.080 in eight games, at which point the A’s optioned him down to Vegas.
Since getting optioned, he has stepped to the plate 155 times for the Aviators. He has hit 11 home runs and drawn a walk in 11.6% of his plate appearances. His 27.7% strikeout rate is still high but something of an improvement for him. He has a 32.3% strikeout rate in his big league career. Even in Triple-A from 2022 to 2024, his 28.1% strikeout rate was a bit higher than what he’s done lately.
The A’s are 10.5 games back of a playoff spot, so they are in a spot where it makes sense to prioritize the future over the present. Urías was a few weeks away from returning to free agency, so he doesn’t do anything for them down the line. Gelof, on the other hand, could still be a part of the club’s future. He has just over two years of big league service time, meaning he hasn’t yet qualified for arbitration. He can be retained for four more years after this one. He will also still has two more option years after 2025, so future optional assignments could even extend the club’s window of control.
For now, it makes sense to give the second base job to Gelof. He has shown some good pop in his time, with 31 home runs in 875 big league plate appearances. He’ll need to cut down on the strikeouts but regular playing time could help with that. The A’s can give him the final few weeks of the season to see how he handles it. His performance in that stretch could determine if they look for external additions in the offseason or plan on Gelof being their second baseman in 2026.
Since the trade deadline has passed, Urías will be available on waivers in the coming days. There’s still about $200K left on his deal and he hasn’t been playing well lately, so it’s unlikely any club would claim him. If he if passed through waivers unclaimed, he has enough service time to reject an outright assignment and elect free agency. The A’s might skip that formality and simply release him.
Photo courtesy of David Richard, Imagn Images
Athletics Reinstate Zack Gelof, Release T.J. McFarland
The Athletics announced today that infielder Zack Gelof has been reinstated from the 60-day injured list. He’ll take the active roster spot of infielder Luis Urías, who has been placed on the 10-day injured list due to a strained right hamstring, retroactive to July 3rd. The 40-man roster had a vacancy, so no corresponding move was required there. The A’s also announced that left-hander T.J. McFarland, who was designated for assignment last week, has been released.
Gelof has been on the IL all year up until now. He started the season on the shelf due to a hamate fracture. He was on a rehab assignment by late April but that was shut down after a few days due to a stress reaction in his ribs.
Now he can finally begin his season. He has shown some promise in his career so far but with some clear strikeout concerns. He debuted in 2023 with 14 home runs and 14 steals in just 69 games, but was punched out in 27.3% of his plate appearances. Last year, that strikeout rate jumped to 34.4% and he only hit 17 homers, despite getting into twice as many games. But his second base defense was solid and he stole another 25 bags, so he was still a useful player.
Ideally, continued reps will help him get that strikeout rate down to a more manageable level. The injuries have stood in the way of that path so far in 2025 but there’s still almost half the season to go. Urías has been the club’s regular second baseman lately, so Gelof can perhaps just slide into that spot and continue his development.
Urías is having a decent season and should be a midseason trade candidate. He’s an impending free agent making just $1.1MM this year. He is slashing .239/.320/.363 for a wRC+ of 91. The injury complicates things somewhat but it doesn’t appear to be serious. Manager Mark Kotsay didn’t think it was an IL stint as of Wednesday, per Martín Gallegos of MLB.com. Though the club has decided to shelve him, he may be back right after the break.
As for McFarland, once he was designated for assignment, it was likely he would end up on the open market. He is making $1.8MM this year and has a 6.89 earned run average. No club was going to have interest in taking that salary on. As a veteran with years of experience, he has enough service time to reject an outright assignment and elect free agency. The A’s have skipped that formality.
Now that he has been released, they are on the hook for that salary. Any other club can sign him and only pay him the prorated version of the league minimum salary for any time spent on the roster. At that price point, clubs could be interested.
He has a 4.18 ERA in over a decade in the big leagues and his 2025 struggles may have been partially due to luck. His .393 batting average on balls in play and 66.2% strand rate are both to the unlucky side. His 9.5% strikeout rate was low even by his usual standards but his 61.3% ground ball rate was still strong. His 4.62 FIP and 3.83 SIERA suggest he might still be the same guy, despite this year’s ERA spike.
Photo courtesy of Rick Scuteri, Imagn Images