WEST SACRAMENTO -- The Athletics have had several members of their current young core -- such as Lawrence Butler, Tyler Soderstrom and Max Muncy -- benefit from a demotion to the Minors after struggling early in their Major League careers.
Zack Gelof is the next player they hope will follow a similar path.
Off to a slow start over the past week in his return from injury, Gelof was optioned to Triple-A Las Vegas before Sunday’s 6-3 win over the Blue Jays at Sutter Health Park. The move cleared room on the active roster for Luis Urías, who was activated from the injured list after missing eight games with a strained right hamstring.
“Zack’s been a part of this group and will be a part of this group,” manager Mark Kotsay said. “Right now, I think with the adjustments that need to be made offensively, it’s difficult to make those adjustments here. The move to send him to Triple-A is to get him going and build his confidence back up.”
Gelof broke out as a rookie sensation for the A’s in 2023 by hitting .267 with an .841 OPS, 14 home runs, 20 doubles, 32 RBIs and 14 stolen bases in 69 games. He endured a sophomore slump last season in a campaign that still saw him hit 17 homers and steal 25 bases while providing strong defense at second base, but the .211 batting average with a .632 OPS signaled a clear step back.
Swing and miss was the biggest issue for Gelof in 2024, as his 188 strikeouts led all American League hitters. He worked hard this spring on making adjustments to address those issues, but after sustaining a hook of the hamate fracture as a result of getting hit by a pitch on his right hand during the final week of Spring Training, then suffering a setback in May due to a stress reaction in his ribs he sustained while rehabbing in the Minors, Gelof’s 2025 debut was delayed nearly four months.
Since making his season debut for the A’s on July 4, Gelof was 2-for-25 (.080) with 13 strikeouts through his first eight games. Despite the hope from the A’s that Gelof could produce a bounceback 2025 campaign and reclaim the everyday second base job, it was evident that he is still searching at the plate. Rather than working through that in the big leagues, they felt it was best for Gelof to try to get himself right in Las Vegas.
“For him to be able to make those adjustments,” Kotsay said. “It’s going to be a lot easier there than it is here.”
While the A’s have been encouraged by their overall offensive production this season, second base is an area that has underperformed. Entering Sunday, only four teams had a lower OPS from the second base position than the A’s (.598) so far in 2025.
Urías received the majority of time at second base for the A’s prior to landing on the IL earlier this month. Going forward, however, Kotsay said multiple players could get a look at second base, including Urías, Muncy and Max Schuemann.
“I think you’ll see a mix between guys,” Kotsay said. “Muncy will see some time at second base as well. Urías has done a nice job in that role. With [Miguel] Andujar back, I think there’s an opportunity for Miggy to play third base and mix in some outfield. I think there will be a good rotation that takes place after the All-Star break.”
The A’s head into the All-Star break having generated some positive momentum over the past few weeks. Regrouping from a brutal 1-20 stretch that took place from May 14-June 4, they are now 18-17 since June 4, with Sunday’s win marking the first time the A’s have won consecutive series since winning four straight from late April to early May.
The final game of the first half saw Jeffrey Springs carry a perfect game into the fifth inning and finish with a quality start of three runs allowed on three hits with five strikeouts in 6 2/3 innings.
The offense continued to slug, with Soderstrom, Austin Wynns and Nick Kurtz each homering. Kurtz, who leads all Major League rookies with 17 home runs, is tied with Seattle star Cal Raleigh for the most home runs (12) since June 15.
“We’ve played a lot better baseball,” Kotsay said. “We should be looking at this second half as an opportunity to keep growing, keep building and keep winning series. We’ll come out of the break with a commitment to really continuing our progress and how we’ve been playing.”