WEST SACRAMENTO -- When Shea Langeliers underwent surgery on July 28 to repair a torn right meniscus, the procedure was expected to sideline the Athletics’ All-Star catcher until 2027.
Personally, though, Langeliers had his doubts about that timeline.
“‘I’m coming back this year,’” Langeliers told himself. “‘I’m not going to miss the rest of the year.’”
On Saturday, his aim became reality as Langeliers was activated from the 10-day injured list, providing a spark of hope for the A’s late in a tough season.
“It feels great,” Langeliers said. “The whole goal was to get back and start balling with the boys again.”
Batting fourth as the designated hitter in Saturday’s 19-1 loss to the Mariners at Sutter Health Park, Langeliers went 1-for-3 in his return to the Majors. He lined the first pitch he saw from Seattle’s Bryan Woo to left-center field for a single in the first inning and beat out a double play in the third to drive in the lone A’s run.
“Legs are feeling good,” Langeliers said. “I’ve still got the sneaky speed, so that’s always a positive.”
In his final at-bat, Langeliers lined out to center field on a 104.2 mph scorcher.
“Shea, I thought, swung the bat really well for his first night back against a really good starter that we’d had trouble with,” A’s manager Mark Kotsay said. “For Shea, it was a good night.”
Langeliers’ return is crucial for an A’s team that has taken some major hits in 2026. Brent Rooker (left knee) had already been ruled out for the year by the time Langeliers went down, while Nick Kurtz (right thumb), Tyler Soderstrom (left hip) and Jacob Wilson (left shoulder) were all shut down for the year during Langeliers’ stint on the injured list.
Still, the backstop worked his way back to the Majors to rejoin an A’s team in fourth place in the American League West with a 60-89 record.
“It’s great to have a guy who’s been a part of the core, who was one of the five guys atop the order and a big run producer -- a guy that we are going to rely on going forward,” Kotsay said.
Langeliers, the AL All-Star team’s starter behind the plate, won’t be catching for the rest of the year to avoid additional wear and tear on his leg. But whether he’s in a DH role or pinch-hitting, the A’s think Langeliers -- who had a .263/.332/.497 slash line with 23 home runs and 51 RBIs in 93 games before the injury -- can benefit from two weeks’ worth of additional at-bats.
“I think it gives him confidence going into the offseason that he’s ready to go,” Kotsay said.
After going 3-for-5 between his two rehab games on Thursday and Friday at Triple-A Las Vegas, including two doubles and an RBI, Langeliers said he felt good swinging, running the bases and changing direction.
Afraid of cooling down if he continued his rehab stint and rejoined the A’s while out of rhythm at the plate, Langeliers decided he was ready to be activated on Saturday. Infielder Darell Hernaiz was optioned to Las Vegas in a corresponding move.
“I was kind of like, ‘Hey, if I have to run the bases hard and everything feels good, I want to get back as soon as possible and not waste good swings, per se,’” Langeliers said.
As his cleanup position in Saturday’s batting order showed, Langeliers will be thrown right into the middle of things. After their final game against the Mariners on Sunday, the A’s will face the Rays and Guardians on the road before returning home to take on the Angels and Astros to round out the year.
Langeliers couldn’t speak to the specifics of the return-to-play progression the A’s have in place for him, but he feels like he can remain a daily fixture in the lineup.
“I don’t necessarily know what the full plan is yet, but I feel like I’m definitely capable of finishing out the year playing every game,” he said.
Either way, Langeliers is more than happy to be part of the ride.
“It’s never part of the plan to get hurt and have to miss time,” he said. “But when something like that does happen, a lot of it’s your mental outlook on being able to stay positive and show up to the field every day and give it everything I’ve got to try to get back and get on the field with the guys again.”