This story was excerpted from Martín Gallegos’ A’s Beat newsletter. To read the full newsletter, click here. And subscribe to get it regularly in your inbox.
Denzel Clarke’s 2026 campaign has not gone according to plan.
Entering the season as the starting center fielder for the Athletics, the expectation was for Clarke to take a step forward as a hitter and perhaps even bring home his first Gold Glove Award for his stellar defensive play. Instead, a right foot bone bruise and high-grade hamstring strain caused him to miss 119 games, spending time on the injured list from April 22-Aug. 31.
After returning to the A’s last week in Texas, Clarke sat down with MLB.com to discuss how his year has gone and what he hopes to accomplish in his return.
MLB.com: First off, what’s it like just to be back? I know it’s been longer than you hoped it would be, but what was it like just making your return in Texas and taking the field with your teammates again?
Clarke: It’s super special being back. Ultimately, I missed being around the guys, teammates, coaches, all that stuff. You see these guys every day, so when you’re apart from them for that long, it’s kind of just like, "Dang, what’s going on?" It’s interesting. The last two years, this was just my first time playing in Texas. The last two years, when I was getting ready to head there for the first time, those were both times when I got hurt. It’s kind of crazy. But it was cool playing there for the first time and checking out the stadium.
MLB.com: How would you kind of describe the way this year has gone? You started the year in your home country of Canada for Opening Day, then you had the injury, rehabbed and got close to coming back in May before you had a setback.
Clarke: A mix of emotions comes with that. It was definitely frustrating. I want to be out there impacting the game. There’s a lot of stuff you can only learn from being on the field playing, so you miss those reps. But when you don’t get to do that, it’s about how you can make the most of your time. I was working on things that are going to help me the next time I could get back on the field. I think I did a really good job using that time to just progress, even though I couldn’t be on the field.
MLB.com: What helped you get through those tough times? Was there anything or anyone you kind of leaned on?
Clarke: Yeah, I’m a big believer. I always believe God can help me through those situations. I also believe I have a really great support system. I really love my family, my friends and people around me who have been in my corner since before I started playing baseball. They know the human side of me first. And then just continuing to find ways to improve myself. Those are like the three biggest things that I really worked on.
MLB.com: Is there anything that you kind of learned about yourself or just anything you took away from all the time away from playing in big league games?
Clarke: Um, yeah. But I’ll keep it private.
MLB.com: There’s still about a month left, which should give you plenty of opportunities to play here. What do you hope to accomplish here in September before going into the offseason?
Clarke: The biggest thing is just going in and making the most of this last month. Go out and make sure I give myself a chance to put out my best effort every day. Consistency in my routines, and do my best to dominate every day.