A's dealt a blow as Rooker set to undergo season-ending knee surgery

WEST SACRAMENTO -- The Athletics will have to move forward without their clubhouse leader.

After Brent Rooker paused his rehab from a left knee bone bruise to be reevaluated by doctors at Stanford Medical Center, the All-Star slugger is now set to undergo knee surgery, A’s manager Mark Kotsay revealed before Wednesday’s series finale against the Dodgers at Sutter Health Park. The procedure, which will be announced at a later date, will address a cartilage tear in Rooker’s left knee and will keep him out for the remainder of the 2026 season.

“This is a big blow,” Kotsay said. “It’s a middle-of-the-order bat. It’s a guy that produced for us offensively for the last three seasons with 30-plus homers. In terms of replacing Rook, there’s not one guy that is going to come in here and step in with that type of production. We’ll do our best to fill that void and make the best of the situation.”

This is the latest hit in what has been a brutal stretch of injuries. Over the past week, the A’s have also lost key players Zack Gelof, Jacob Wilson and Tyler Soderstrom to the injured list. The club has a season-high nine players on the injured list and has already used the IL 13 times this year.

Rooker's impending surgery marks a premature end to what has been a difficult campaign on the health front. Earlier this season, he sustained a right oblique strain that led to him missing 15 games before returning on April 25. From that point on, Rooker hit .216 with a .709 OPS and eight home runs in 36 games before this recent knee issue. Rooker received a cortisone shot on June 10 in hopes of alleviating the swelling on his left knee, but the discomfort lingered.

“There’s not one instance of the injury,” Kotsay said. “This could have been something that just over time continued to deteriorate. The cartilage in itself caused that bone bruise. That’s from a lack of cartilage in the knee. We tried the conservative measure of doing the injection. Obviously, with the baseball activity increasing, it just continued to be an issue.”

As Kotsay stated, there really is no replacing the production Rooker has brought to this club. From 2023-25, the two-time All-Star hit .268 with an .853 OPS and 99 home runs in 444 games. Last year, Rooker became just the fifth A’s player since 2000 to appear in all 162 games of a season and the first since Marcus Semien in 2019.

Rooker’s clubhouse presence is equally important here. He is the unofficial team captain of the A’s and a valuable resource for the younger players on the roster due to his vast knowledge of hitting. He will be absent on the road, but the A’s expect him to remain an influential figure in the dugout and clubhouse when the team is at home.

“In terms of the leadership, that’s not going to change,” Kotsay said. “He’s still going to be a part of the group on a daily basis. When he has the surgery, he’ll be rehabbing here with the team so he can still provide that leadership.”

Veteran Joey Meneses was recently called up from Triple-A Las Vegas after tearing up Pacific Coast League pitching. He is one of a few players who will likely cycle through the designated hitter spot vacated by Rooker. Others in that mix, based on matchups, will likely include Colby Thomas, Max Muncy, Jonah Heim and Shea Langeliers whenever he needs a break from catching.