When A's second baseman Zack Gelof made his debut in 2023, he took the league by storm, slugging 14 homers with 14 stolen bases in 69 games after the All Star break. Unfortunately, he struggled in 2024, and spent most of the 2025 season injured, which has led to some questions about who will play second base for the A's in 2026.
Athletics on SI asked GM David Forst what the team's plan is at second, given Gelof's injury (he had surgery last week), if the job is his if he's healthy, or if we could expect more of a competition this spring.
"The first part of your question, unfortunately, is the important one. It's about Zack being healthy, and you know he really hasn't been since he debuted in '23. He has a long rehab ahead of him this offseason, and we'll have to wait further into the offseason to know exactly what his timeline is. I think we have to be open to a lot of possibilities at both [second and third base]."
It will be interesting to see how the A's front office attacks this issue this offseason, since they are currently unsure of what Gelof's timeline is after his shoulder surgery. They could go with internal options, like Max Muncy or Darell Hernaiz, though both graded out better defensively on the left side of the infield.
They could also scour the waiver wire this winter and hope that they are able to claim a player in November, or sign an intriguing guy to a minor-league deal.
In terms of the free agent market, veteran Gleyber Torres would be a nice addition and another solid bat in an already good offense, but his defense graded out as below league average (-4 DRS), and he will likely be after a multi-year contract. While the Athletics may not be opposed to a two-year deal, they're going to have to shuffle some pieces around when top prospect Leo De Vries arrives, too.
The most likely scenario here is that the A's will perhaps make a low-cost addition, then use either Hernaiz or Muncy at second regularly, if needed. If Gelof is healthy by the time camp opens, then he'll also be in that mix. Max Schuemann could also be in contention to get some regular playng time at second, given that he's a bit of a jack of all trades for the club.
Isiah Kiner-Falefa is another potential candidate for the A's to consider on the free agent market, given that he's played some stellar defense at second in the past. In 2024 he totaled 376 innings there, and racked up a +7 Defensive Runs Saved (DRS), which is impressive. He's also a below league average bat without a ton of power.
All this is to say that the A's don't necessarily have second base locked down heading into the offseason, but they'll have plenty of options at their disposal.
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