NEW YORK – The biggest fear surrounding the potential severity of Brent Rooker’s injury has been confirmed.
Before the Athletics opened up a three-game series against the Mets on Friday night at Citi Field, an MRI revealed a right oblique strain for Rooker, who sustained the injury after fouling off a pitch in the first inning of Thursday’s game against the Yankees in New York.
Rooker was placed on the 10-day injured list, though oblique injuries typically take longer to recover from, with four to six weeks being the general timeframe for a return.
Of course, any time missed for Rooker -- who had played in 214 consecutive contests and had not missed a game since Aug. 15, 2024 -- is a tough blow for the A’s, who are now without their leader and unofficial team captain for the foreseeable future.
This is the first real bout with the injury bug for the A’s this year. They got through Spring Training relatively unscathed and entered the regular season fully healthy, but injuries are part of the game that every team has to deal with at some point.
For the A’s, while there is no adequate replacement for Rooker both as a middle-of-the-order force and clubhouse presence, there is a strong belief in the position-player depth that exists at Triple-A Las Vegas, which they tapped into on Friday by recalling Zack Gelof in a corresponding move.
Gelof, who spent most of spring finishing his rehab from a dislocated left shoulder, has gone through a reinvention of sorts as he looks to recapture the form he displayed over a breakout 2023 rookie campaign. In addition to playing his usual position at second base, Gelof has expanded his versatility by playing all three outfield spots at Triple-A, where he’s also swung a hot bat through his first 11 games (.366 with a 1.250 OPS, four home runs, three doubles and 10 RBIs).
Gelof will not be alone in filling in for Rooker. That will likely be a collaborative effort, with the designated-hitter spot likely to be a rotation of players on days the A’s would like to give them a break from the field. Carlos Cortes also figures to see an uptick in playing time at the corner-outfield spots.