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- Athletics placed All‑Star catcher Shea Langeliers on the 10‑day IL with a torn meniscus.
- If Langeliers elects surgery after Monday’s doctor visit, his season would likely end.
- Backup Jonah Heim will likely assume the starting role while Brian Serven was called up.
The Athletics placed All-Star starting catcher Shea Langeliers on the 10-day injured list Sunday with a potentially season-ending torn meniscus in his right knee as the team continued to deal with a growing list of injuries, the team said.
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Langeliers will meet with team doctors Monday to decide whether to undergo surgery, A’s manager Mark Kotsay said Sunday. If Langeliers undergoes surgery, his season would likely be over, according to ESPN, which also reported that the injury occurred while he was running the bases.
“We’re looking at the situation, making sure that he gets the best advice, the best care and hopefully the quickest recovery,” Kotsay said.
In the meantime, backup catcher Jonah Heim will likely assume the starting role, with 31-year-old journeyman Brian Serven called up Sunday to fill the second catcher spot.
Both Langeliers and Heim, who the A’s acquired in a May trade with the Atlanta Braves, had been mentioned as potential trade candidates ahead of the Aug. 3 deadline, though the injury will likely end that possibility.
How was Langeliers playing?
Langeliers, 28, has been one of the best catchers in baseball over the last two seasons and was one of the few A’s players to avoid the injury bug until suffering the meniscus tear.
In 93 games this season, Langeliers posted an .829 OPS with 23 home runs, 19 doubles and 51 RBIs on the way to his first All-Star Game appearance and the fan-elected starting catcher job. He was the first A’s catcher to start the All-Star Game since Terry Steinbach in 1989, walking and singling during the contest.
“It’s something you always dream about as a kid to get to play in the All-Star game,” Langeliers told The Sacramento Bee in June. “It’s kind of full circle, all the work you put in your whole career, leading you to this point. It’s really cool.”
When he launched his 20th home run earlier this month, Langeliers became just the ninth A’s player since 1968 to hit at least 20 home runs in four straight seasons and the only catcher to do so.
Langeliers signed a one-year, $5.25 million contract with the A’s to avoid arbitration this season and remains under team control through 2028, though the sides have not reached a long-term deal.
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Heim, a switch-hitter, has earned praise from Kotsay since the club acquired him from the Braves despite posting a .693 OPS with 14 extra-base hits in about 150 at-bats.
J.T. Ginn, Zack Gelof headline others injured
The A’s are 4-15 in July, falling to nine games out of both the American League West lead and the final AL Wild Card position, making a playoff push unlikely, especially without Langeliers.
In more positive news, the A’s other All-Star, first baseman Nick Kurtz, was reinstated from the IL on Saturday, bringing one of the team’s cornerstones back into the starting lineup.
However, Langeliers and several other Athletics remain sidelined with injuries during a difficult stretch for the club.
Here are other key injuries affecting the A’s:
• A’s ace J.T. Ginn, who was on the fringe of the All-Star Game with a 3.46 ERA and 100 strikeouts in 19 starts and three relief appearances, was placed on the 15-day IL last week with a right middle finger blister. Ginn was shut down from throwing while the blister healed, though he may be available as soon as next week.
• One of the team’s hottest hitters, rookie Joshua Kuroda-Grauer, landed on the 10-day injured list last Tuesday with a ruptured testicle after fouling a pitch off his midsection. The 23-year-old posted an OPS above 1.000 in 62 plate appearances before the injury.
• After going on a 24-game hitting streak to establish himself as one of the A’s best hitters, infielder Zack Gelof has landed on the IL with lacerations twice in the last month, currently on the 10-day IL with a right knee laceration. He was placed on the IL on July 10, and is expected to return soon.
• Left-handed starter Jeffrey Springs exited his start Sunday in the second inning because of what Kotsay called right hip discomfort. No official diagnosis has been announced for the 33-year-old, who has a 6.23 ERA and leads the American League in losses (10), earned runs allowed (72) and home runs allowed (27).
• There are no new updates on designated hitter Brent Rooker, who is out for the season with a left knee bone bruise, or on significant injuries to starter Luis Severino and outfielder Denzel Clarke, who are likely to remain out until at least mid-August.
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