A's Core Player Set to Miss Remainder of Season

It wasn't too long ago that A's second baseman Zack Gelof was arguably the face of the franchise, serving as the face that was plastered on the scoreboards of the team's initial renderings in Las Vegas. In the second round of interior renderings, it was Brent Rooker that was featured.

When he was called up with Tyler Soderstrom after the break in 2023, Gelof began hitting immediately, batting .267 with a .337 OBP and a .841 OPS across 69 games. He also tallied 14 home runs and 14 stolen bases in that span, and looked like he could be a perennial 20/20 player for the club in the coming years.

Last year he struggled to repeat those initial stats, batting just .211 with a .270 OBP and a .632 OPS, clubbing 17 home runs and swiping 25 bags. He prepared during the offseason to make sure that he didn't have a repeat of that season, but during the final week of Spring Training, he suffered a hook of the hamate injury, which caused him to miss about six weeks.

While he was on a rehab assignment in May, he suffered another injury, this time a stress reaction in his ribs, which kept him out until July 4. In his initial stint with the A's, which lasted eight games, Gelof went 2-for-25 with 13 strikeouts, and the A's decided to option him to Triple-A Las Vegas.

He'd return at the end of August, and has been hitting better in September while receiving regular playing time, but he's still hit just .174 with a .230 OBP and a .502 OPS on the season.

Gelof set to miss remainder of 2025

On Friday night in Pittsburgh, Gelof would dive for a grounder between first and second, and in the process, he ended up dislocating his left shoulder. A's manager Mark Kotsay told reporters after the game that he would be out for the remainder of the season.

The subsequent roster move is likely to come on Saturday, ahead of the team's second game against the Pirates. There is no obvious move for the A's to make here, as they have both Brett Harris and Darell Hernaiz as the likely recipients of added playing time already on the roster. Max Schuemann could also be due a few extra looks.

Who will the A's call up?

The A's also don't have any position players in Triple-A that are on their 40-man roster. Max Muncy is recovering from a right hand fracture in Arizona, and has just started a hitting progression, so that doesn't seem terribly likely. Denzel Clarke is also rehabbing his own injury, and is also an unlikely add.

The A's could decide to move a player that was already planned for the 40-man onto the roster now, instead of waiting for the offseason. If that is the case, they could place Gelof on the 60-day IL to remove him from the 40-man roster for the duration of the season, then make the necessary moves in a few weeks.

Two options for this spot could have been Henry Bolte or Daniel Susac, the former first round catcher, but both are currently on the IL. We'll have to wait and see which direction the front office picks, because it could be any position, and everyone is an option.