Jul 11, 2025; West Sacramento, California, USA; Athletics third baseman Max Muncy (10) celebrates with team mates after hitting a home run against the Toronto Blue Jays during the ninth inning at Sutter Health Park. Mandatory Credit: Ed Szczepanski-Imagn Images Ed Szczepanski-Imagn Images

A's Lose Key Reliever For Stretch Run

Originally posted on Oakland Athletics on SI
By Jason Burke | Last updated Sep 20, 2025 4:40 PM ET

With Zack Gelof dislocating his left shoulder during Friday night's game in Pittsburgh, we were expecting an injury announcement on Saturday. What we weren't expecting was that left-hander Sean Newcomb would be joining him on the IL.

The Athletics announced ahead of Saturday's game that Gelof has been placed on the 10-day IL, and will miss the rest of the season, along with Newcomb landing on the 15-day IL with left elbow inflammation, which will effectively end his year as well.

To replace the duo, the A's have reinstated infielder Max Muncy from the 10-day IL, and recalled right-handed relief pitcher Scott McGough. Muncy was placed on the injured list on July 22 with a fractured right hand, while McGough was optioned on Sept. 10 and appeared in three games with the A’s.

Sean Newcomb has thrived since re-joining the A's after a mid-season trade from the Boston Red Sox, and has become a key piece of the team's bullpen. On the year he holds a 2.73 ERA across 48 appearances (92 1/3 innings), while he has gone 2-1 with a 1.75 ERA in his 51 1/3 innings with the green and gold.

Sergio Estrada-Imagn Images

McGough signed a minor-league deal with the club back in June after the Arizona Diamondbacks had designated him for assignment. He was called up to the big-league roster at the beginning of September when rosters expanded.

In his five innings of work with the A's this month, he allowed eight hits, five runs and a walk while striking out six.

Muncy returns to the A's roster after suffering a right hand fracture in the second half of July. He'd been in Arizona working on a hitting progression earlier this week and has not been out on a minor-league rehab stint, so we'll see how much playing time he gets down the stretch.

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Muncy has hit .215 with a .258 OBP and a .643 OPS in his rookie season (59 games). He began the season on the roster when Gelof suffered his injury at the end of camp, and in every month that he's been in the big leagues, Muncy has shown improvements at the plate.

In the month of July, Muncy had gone 13-for-52 (.250) with a .278 OBP and an .816 OPS.

One interesting wrinkle here is that the A's didn't have a healthy position player on the 40-man roster in Triple-A, so to add someone from Las Vegas, they would have had to place someone on the 60-day IL or designate someone for assignment. Adding Muncy, who was on the 40-man, means that didn't have to happen.

That is why it'll be interesting to see how much playing time he receives. Both Brett Harris at third and Darell Hernaiz figure to be the key candidates for extra playing time, and both are in the A's lineup on Saturday afternoon in Pittsburgh.

This article first appeared on Oakland Athletics on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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