Athletics Select Brian Serven

The Athletics announced multiple roster moves before Saturday’s matchup against the Marlins. The club selected the contract of catcher Brian Serven and reinstated utilityman Zack Gelof from the 10-day IL. Infielders Darell Hernaiz and Joey Meneses are headed back to Triple-A. The A’s had a couple of openings on the 40-man roster, so no additional move was needed for Serven.

Shea Langeliers was pulled from last night’s game with a thumb injury, so the A’s added some catching depth for the weekend. Jonah Heim will draw the start behind the plate tonight against Sandy Alcantara. Serven will presumably be the backup until Langeliers is ready to reclaim his starting role.

The 31-year-old Serven is making his return to the big leagues after spending all of 2025 with Detroit’s Triple-A affiliate. He’s played in parts of three seasons in the majors, mostly with the Rockies. Serven last suited up with the Blue Jays in 2024.

Serven is a career .187 hitter as a big leaguer, but he was having a nice season with Las Vegas. The veteran slashed .295/.392/.505 in 53 games before his call-up. As we saw when the A’s played there, Las Vegas Ballpark is an extremely hitter-friendly environment, so it’s unlikely that Serven has taken a step forward with the bat. His main contributions should continue to come behind the plate. Serven has racked up 7 Defensive Runs Saved across 730 innings with the Rockies and Blue Jays.

Gelof required a minimum stint on the injured list with a bruised hand. He’s back in the lineup tonight, batting second and playing left field. Gelof has mostly played third base this year, but injuries to Brent Rooker and Tyler Soderstrom have made outfield a clearer need.

The hand injury paused what has been a massive bounce-back campaign for Gelof. After struggling to stick on the roster last year, he’s posted a 129 wRC+ through 62 games this season. Gelof has trimmed his troublesome strikeout rate to a manageable 24.1%. He’s popped 11 home runs and stolen eight bases as a near-everyday player bouncing between second base, third base, and the outfield.

Hernaiz has been up and down with the A’s since his debut in 2024. He broke camp with the club this season, but has already been squeezed off the roster once. His most recent stint in the majors is over after less than a week. Hernaiz had an underwhelming .606 OPS through 134 plate appearances. He saw playing time at every infield spot except first base. The 24-year-old also made his first MLB appearance in the outfield. Hernaiz is in his final minor league option year.

Meneses made it back to the big leagues after a year in Triple-A with the Mets. He inked a minor league deal with the A’s in November and earned a promotion after delivering a 124 wRC+ with Las Vegas. The 34-year-old appeared in 7 games with the club, going 2-for-14 with a couple of RBI. Meneses put together a year and a half of solid production when he first debuted with the Nationals, but he struggled mightily in 2024.