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- Shea Langeliers said he wants to play this season but will avoid rushed decisions.
- Langeliers underwent right knee meniscus surgery and is expected to miss the season.
- Jonah Heim is expected to take the brunt of the catching reps for the A’s.
Athletics All-Star catcher Shea Langeliers said Friday that he would like to play this season but wants to make sure he is fully recovered before returning, while speaking to reporters for the first time since a potentially season-ending knee surgery earlier this week.
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“If there’s any possibility of me coming back to play, I’d love to explore that avenue,” Langeliers said. “Obviously, I don’t want to make any crazy decisions and make sure that I am 100% if I do get the chance to come back and play.”
Langeliers underwent surgery on a torn meniscus in his right knee on Tuesday, which is expected to keep the 28-year-old backstop out for the rest of the season.
Speaking before Friday evening’s home game at Sutter Health Park against the Detroit Tigers Langeliers, said he feels “really good” walking but has used crutches at some points post-surgery. He said he has begun a rehab process with the A’s trainers.
‘No sense in rushing Shea back’
In 93 games this season, Langeliers was slashing .263/.332/.497 with 23 home runs, 19 doubles and 51 RBIs. With the A’s dealing with a variety of other injuries to key players, Langeliers had been one of the few players to stay away from the injury bug as he made the first All-Star appearance of his career and became the first Athletics catcher to start the game since Terry Steinbach in 1989.
While his presence will certainly be missed in the A’s lineup, manager Mark Kotsay echoed a similarly cautious sentiment regarding Langeliers’ potential to return this season, saying it was more important to get him 100% for offseason training and upcoming years. However, as a 17-year MLB veteran himself, Kotsay acknowledged Langeliers’ drive to finish the season and play as soon as possible.
“It’s more about having him not think about trying to finish the end of the season, as opposed to just thinking about each day and improving 1% so that when and if he’s ready, he’s fully ready,” Kotsay said ahead of Friday’s game. “There’s no sense in rushing Shea back.”
Though he won’t be able to compete on the field, Kotsay said it is important to have Langeliers and many of the A’s other injured players back rehabbing with the team so they can continue to contribute in leadership roles. Other key injuries include a season-ending knee injury to two-time All-Star designated hitter Brent Rooker, ongoing injured list stints for outfielder Denzel Clarke and starter Luis Severino, and recent short stints for other key bats like Zack Gelof, Tyler Soderstrom, Jacob Wilson and Nick Kurtz.
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“I love being around the guys, being there for them, talking to them about the game approach, mental side, just anything in general,” Langeliers said of his leadership role while injured. “Just kind of be there for them.”
A’s ‘in really good hands’ with Heim
Switch-hitting veteran catcher Jonah Heim is expected to take the brunt of the catching reps for the A’s with Langeliers out.
Heim, 31, is a former All-Star and World Series champion known as a renowned defensive catcher and pitch framer. In 50 games this season, he holds a .732 on-base plus slugging percentage and has amassed 17 extra-base hits, consistently earning praise from Kotsay and the A’s young pitching staff for his defensive efforts.
Before Langeliers’ injury, Heim was a widely speculated trade candidate ahead of Monday’s deadline. However, without a clear option behind him in the A’s organization, Heim may be too valuable to trade, despite his contract expiring at the end of the season.
On Wednesday, Kotsay said Heim brought significant value to the Major League club, though he said the front office would have to evaluate his value against what they could get in return.
“Jonah has been unbelievable. I’ve loved working with him, just talking to him about baseball, life, things like that,” Langeliers said Friday. “The team is in really good hands.”
Heim, who was acquired in a trade with the Atlanta Braves in May, said Wednesday that he and Langeliers have grown close in his few months with the team and that he would try to do his best to help the A’s win in Langeliers’ stead.
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“There’s no replacing Shea,” Heim said.