UPDATE: Gelof suffered a stress reaction to his ribs during a rehab assignment. He’s been shut down with no timetable to return.
The Athletics won’t have promising 2B Zack Gelof available to start the season. The 25-year-old will need surgery on the injury he sustained earlier this week when he was hit on the hand by a Paul Sewald fastball.
A’s second baseman Zack Gelof has a hook of the hamate fracture of his right hand. He will undergo surgery tomorrow in LA and will begin the season on the injured list.
— Martín Gallegos (@MartinJGallegos) March 23, 2025
Hand injuries and procedures are very tricky to put a timeline on, but recovery time for a hamate procedure is typically between four and six weeks.
Fantasy baseball impact
When asked earlier this week about potential options if Gelof was sidelined, A’s manager Mark Kotsay said “[Luis] Urías has had a pretty solid camp. Feeling pretty confident with him being able to step in there. With [Max] Schuemann obviously last year, his versatility allows us to look at him as part of the mix as well.”
Urias hit .333 (14-for-42) in spring training with five doubles and a home run. He only hit .191 last season in 41 games for the Mariners, though, and .194 in 2023. In his career, he hits lefties much better than righties.
The other option Kotsay mentioned was utilityman Schuemann, who hit .220 with seven home runs and 14 stolen bases in 133 games last season. Max Muncy (not the Dodgers player) is also in the mix after an impressive spring training. The A’s will likely piece together multiple players in a platoon until Zack Gelof is ready to return.
