Ryan Lasko may not have taken the field on Wednesday night, but his presence was certainly felt in ballparks across the country.
Lasko, an outfielder with Double-A Midland, last played on June 30, when he and teammate Devin Taylor collided while both attempted a diving catch on a ball in the gap in right-center field. While Taylor, fortunately, was unharmed, Lasko suffered a fracture of his C6-C7 vertebra and was left without feeling in his lower half.
Lasko has since undergone spinal decompression and stabilization surgery and his care was transferred to a hospital in his native New Jersey. As is often the case with spinal cord injuries, Lasko and the A's won't have much clarity on how he may recover until the process is well underway, but there remains optimism that he will regain feeling in his legs.
In the meantime, the 24-year-old is receiving the well-deserved support of his teammates. In fact, all members of the Athletics organization -- all the way up to the big league club -- were outfitted with "22 Strong" t-shirts before their Wednesday games, each with Lasko's name and number emblazoned on the back.
“It was incredible to see Ryan’s name all over the system today," said A's general manager David Forst. "So many of our guys, from the big league team down to Arizona, are talking about him, asking how he’s doing and just constantly sending good thoughts his way. Ryan knows he has the full support of the entire organization in this battle.”
MLB.com's Martín Gallegos contributed to this story.