Athletics OF undergoes patellar tendon surgery

The A’s announced that Lawrence Butler underwent surgery to repair the patellar tendon in his right knee. The outfielder also received a platelet-rich plasma injection to address patellar tendonitis in his opposite knee. The club didn’t announce a specific recovery timeline but said that Butler will rehab during the offseason in preparation for Spring Training.

Athletics OF Lawrence Butler had an up-and-down season

Butler is coming off a middling season. He hit .234/.306/.404 while striking out at a 28.4% rate across 630 plate appearances. Butler still managed a 20-20 showing, but all three slash stats regressed from his excellent 2024 campaign. He had a particularly poor second half, hitting .203/.268/.351 with a strikeout rate narrowly above 30% after the All-Star Break.

The knee issues could explain some of that downturn. General manager David Forst told Martín Gallegos of MLB.com on Tuesday that Butler played through the right knee injury for the final few weeks of the season. The 25-year-old remains one of the organization’s core lineup pieces. Nick Kurtz and Jacob Wilson already look like stars. Brent Rooker, Tyler Soderstrom, Shea Langeliers and Butler all have All-Star ceilings, giving the A’s a lineup that runs at least six deep.

Butler is one season into the second-largest contract in franchise history. He signed a seven-year, $65.5M deal in Spring Training. He finished the season as the everyday center fielder but probably projects as their long-term right fielder. Denzel Clarke, who missed most of the second half with a groin injury, is a phenomenal center fielder. Their ideal defense has Clarke up the middle, but he’ll need to improve upon the 38% strikeout rate he posted in his rookie season to stick even at the bottom of the lineup.