SAN FRANCISCO -- There may not be a more painful way to snap a hitting streak than what Zack Gelof endured on Tuesday night.
During the bottom of the second inning of the Athletics’ 3-1 loss to the Giants at Oracle Park, Gelof’s right hand was stepped on by Matt Chapman shortly after the second baseman tagged him for the second out of the frame. Gelof fell to the ground in clear pain with blood coming out of his hand and immediately returned to the dugout in frustration as he was replaced by Jeff McNeil on defense. The club later announced his diagnosis as a right hand laceration and contusion.
Hitless in his only at-bat of the game, Gelof’s 24-game hitting streak, which matched the longest single-season streak in the Majors over the last two years and was the sixth longest in A’s history, came to a brutal and abrupt end.
The bigger concern here, though, is the long-term status of Gelof. Over the past month, he has emerged as an invaluable key player for this A’s squad, providing strong defense at both second and third base. At the plate, he was their hottest hitter this month, entering Tuesday batting .351 (33-for-94) with five home runs, seven doubles and 12 RBIs during what was the longest active hit streak in MLB.
A qualifying game for a hit streak requires an at-bat or sacrifice fly. So, if Gelof had walked or simply had been lower in the order and hadn't come up yet, his hit streak would still be intact, making what transpired Tuesday even more painful.
In the immediate aftermath, though, there was optimism within the A’s clubhouse that Gelof avoided serious injury. X-rays revealed no fracture and no stitches were required, with A’s manager Mark Kotsay labeling the infielder as day to day.
“Pretty much got him just on the top, kind of in between the thumb and the index,” Kotsay said. “There’s some swelling. … Best positive outcome for that situation. It’s just unfortunate for him with the hitting streak that circumstances took him out of the game and the hitting streak comes to an end.”
Before the game, Kotsay discussed the resurgence of Gelof, who appears fully back to the form he displayed during a breakout 2023 rookie campaign after a down ‘24 season and injury-riddled ‘25.
“For Zack, the injuries last season hurt him,” Kotsay said. “But it could’ve possibly helped him in ways he got to reflect on some things that he felt like he needed to make changes with. One of those changes he took seriously this offseason was his attack angle to the baseball. He changed that pretty drastically. Even though the measurements may be minimal, it’s still really hard to do.
“He took the offseason and dedicated himself to making that adjustment, and we’re seeing a player that resembles the guy that came up [in ‘23] and really excited us about his future. The confidence that he has continues to grow, and you see it out there on the baseball field.”
Should Gelof have to miss extended time, McNeil would be in line to get the bulk of time at second base going forward, while Max Muncy would likely get the majority of reps at third base. The A’s also have a few infielders they could call upon at Triple-A Las Vegas, such as top prospects Joshua Kuroda-Grauer (A’s No. 10 prospect) and Tommy White (No. 9), as well as Darell Hernaiz and Alika Williams.
As of Tuesday night, though, it seems as if Gelof will not have to miss many games, if any, which can be considered a victory for the A’s on a night they were stymied by Robbie Ray -- who tossed eight stellar innings of one-run ball -- and fell further behind the .500 mark to 38-41.
“We’ll see how the swelling comes down [on Wednesday],” Kotsay said. “It’s probably going to be sore. We’ll wait. He’s probably day to day. No [injured list consideration] right now.”