The Athletics suffered a serious blow Sunday when the membership advised reporters (together with Martin Gallegos of MLB.com) that second baseman Zack Gelof will start the 2025 season on the injured listing. Gelof, who was hit by a pitch on his proper hand earlier this week, underwent x-rays to find out the severity of the problem. That testing revealed a hamate fracture, and Gelof is predicted to bear surgical procedure in Los Angeles tomorrow.
Gallegos provides that whereas the A’s didn’t present a particular timetable for return, supervisor Mark Kotsay famous that former Oakland first baseman Matt Olson suffered the same damage in 2019 and returned to motion on Might 7, although Kotsay added that Olson’s timeline was “fairly accelerated.” That appears to counsel that the A’s aren’t anticipating Gelof again till someday in Might on the earliest, although a extra particular timetable for his return could possibly be accessible as soon as he’s gone underneath the knife.
Even when Gelof misses solely a month, that’s a tricky blow for an Athletics membership that was certainly relying on the 25-year-old as a giant a part of the membership this yr. Whereas Gelof struggled in 2024 and slashed simply .211/.270/.362 in 138 video games whereas main the AL in strikeouts, he posted a implausible rookie season with the membership the yr prior with a 132 wRC+ in 300 journeys to the plate. Even when Gelof’s 2025 season fell someplace in the course of 2023’s 132 determine and the 82 wRC+ he posted final yr, that will nonetheless make Gelof a high quality common on a younger, up-and-coming A’s membership that wants quite a lot of issues to go proper if its going to contend in a crowded AL West this yr.
Luckily for the A’s, nevertheless, the membership does have a viable alternative for Gelof at second base in Luis Urias. The membership signed Urias to a big-league deal simply earlier than camp opened final month, and he responded by crushing the ball throughout spring coaching with a sensational .333/.429/.524 slash line in 49 journeys to the plate. Nonetheless simply 27 years previous, Urias was a consensus top-30 prospect within the sport in the course of the early days of his profession with the Padres and loved a couple of seasons as a solidly above common common with Brewers when he slashed .244/.340/.426 in 269 video games with the membership from 2021 to 2022.
Urias took a step again in 2023 and needed to accept a bench position with the Mariners final yr however hit fairly effectively in a part-time position with a 107 wRC+ in 41 video games regardless of a worrying 31.2% strikeout price that was by far the very best of his profession. If the infielder can get his strikeouts underneath management in a return to common at-bats with the A’s this yr, it wouldn’t be a shock to see him return to the shape he flashed with Milwaukee that made him an above-average common. 2024 rookie Max Schuemann additionally seems prone to make the membership’s Opening Day roster in a bench position and will assist cowl second base from time to time, although he’s struggled to hit a lot on the huge league degree and in Spring Coaching. Darell Hernaiz could possibly be a possible depth possibility within the center infield after he struggled by 48 video games in his rookie season the place he slashed simply .192/.261/.242 with a wRC+ of fifty regardless of strong protection everywhere in the infield.
One other potential possibility, based on Gallegos, could possibly be high infield prospect Max Muncy breaking camp with the membership. Muncy, to not be confused with the previous Athletic and present Dodgers third baseman of the identical title, was the membership’s first-round decide by in 2021 and impressed in 50 video games at Triple-A final yr when he hit .278/.374/.491 in 203 journeys to the plate. Muncy’s spent most of his skilled profession at shortstop however has expertise at second base as effectively, and after a powerful camp the place he’s held his personal to submit a .290/.391/.395 slash line in 23 video games, it’s not unattainable to think about the membership opting to be aggressive with Muncy and embody him on the Opening Day roster. Even when the membership opts to stay with the plan to start out Muncy in Triple-A for the start of the season, a powerful begin there mixed with early-season struggles from Urias might theoretically persuade the A’s to reverse course.
