DETROIT -- The Athletics have been bitten by the injury bug so hard that even their highlight-reel plays are coming at a cost these days.
During the third inning of Thursday night’s 4-1 loss to the Tigers at Comerica Park, left fielder Zack Gelof made an impressive sliding catch in foul territory for the first out of the inning before his right knee crashed into the fenced portion of the side wall down the left-field line.
Gelof initially popped back up and hobbled back to his position, appearing to test out his knee. But after a few seconds, he went back down to the ground and was removed from the game, walking off the field under his own power alongside A’s head athletic trainer Jeff Collins and manager Mark Kotsay.
After the game, Kotsay revealed Gelof was diagnosed with a deep laceration underneath his right kneecap. He’s considered day to day and will undergo further testing on Friday.
“Fortunately, it just missed the tendon,” Kotsay said. “He’ll be reevaluated tomorrow to verify that with an MRI.”
As Tigers left fielder Riley Greene can attest to, that section of the wall Gelof hit can be unforgiving.
“That portion of the fence where he hit is metal,” Greene said. “He kind of slid into it, and it's definitely going to hurt if you slide into it."
It was yet another blow in what has been a trying year on the health front for the A’s, who have already lost All-Star slugger Brent Rooker for the season due to a left knee injury. There had been some encouraging momentum over the past week that the A’s were going to be as close to full strength as an offense as they’d been since Opening Day, with a few players returning from the injured list over the past week, including Gelof, who was activated on Saturday.
For Gelof, his season of tough-luck injuries continued. Earlier this year, he was struck on the helmet by a pitch from Angels reliever Kirby Yates, but fortunately, he only had to miss one game. Not long after that, though, his right hand was stepped on while tagging out Giants third baseman Matt Chapman at second base, which resulted in a right-hand laceration/contusion that kept him out from June 24-July 3.
“Just another unfortunate injury for him,” Kotsay said. “He was playing the game to win, which is all we ask, and sacrificing his body to make the play. It was an incredible play. Just unfortunate the injury occurred while making it.”
Losing Gelof for an extended period would be a big hit for the A’s. He has reemerged as a key player both as a hitter atop their lineup and as a defender at third base, second base and in left field. Should he land on the IL again, the A’s do have a bevy of utility options at Triple-A Las Vegas, including Max Muncy, who was optioned to Triple-A on Wednesday, as well as Darell Hernaiz and No. 8 prospect Tommy White.
Every team deals with injuries. For the A’s, those injuries have taken a toll that almost feels insurmountable right about now. Even the key players who are healthy enough to go are battling.
Jacob Wilson, who came off the IL on Tuesday, is still managing a left shoulder he dislocated earlier this year that will likely require surgery at the end of the season. Tyler Soderstrom returned on Wednesday from a left hip injury that will also have to be managed over the remainder of the season. Nick Kurtz, now on an 0-for-20 hitless streak, is dealing with a stomach bug that caused him to exit early from Wednesday night’s loss. The result: Four runs in this three-game sweep at the hands of the Tigers.
“There’s no question this is a tough stretch,” Kotsay said. “We’re not going to make excuses. Tonight, we had a game that we were still in. We lined two balls to end the game that easily could have been hits and maybe a different situation and outcome.”
Now a season-high 11 games under .500, the A’s (41-52) will limp into Chicago for the start of a three-game series against the White Sox riding a six-game losing skid and having dropped 10 of their last 11 games and 14 of 17. With three games before the All-Star break, time is running out for the A’s to salvage their fading playoff hopes.
“Every game is important for us right now,” Kotsay said. “Regardless of personnel and injuries and illnesses, we have to figure out a way to win a game.”