WEST SACRAMENTO -- It took a few months longer than he originally expected, but Zack Gelof's quest for a bounceback season is officially underway.
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 was activated off the injured list ahead of the Athletics’ 11-2 win over the Giants on Friday night at Sutter Health Park. He batted eighth and played second base for his season debut and first Major League game since Sept. 29, 2024.
"I wouldn’t think my first game [this season] would be on July 4,” Gelof said before the game. “Everything happens for a reason. I don’t really know the reason yet, but it feels great to be in the lineup today and, hopefully, help the team win.”
Though he went hitless in his first game back, Gelof did contribute with a sacrifice fly in the third inning. He also reached on an error in the seventh, setting the table for Denzel Clarke’s majestic 471-foot blast.
Gelof was provided ample time to build back up on his most recent rehab assignment following his setback. He appeared in 11 games for Triple-A Las Vegas and went 9-for-37 (.243) with three doubles and a home run, while also drawing 15 walks.
No player enjoys missing time, especially Gelof, who has made it known he has a goal of one day playing a full 162 games in a season. Looking at it positively, though, the 25-year-old second baseman said he gained a different perspective from being out for so long, which he is hopeful will help improve his overall game in his return.
"I feel like this is really good timing,” Gelof said. “It was a fun energy to play the game in Vegas. We were doing a lot of winning, so it was fun to be a part of that, too. … I feel like I got a chance to improve on some other things, mentally and physically, and I think it’ll show up the rest of this year.”
For as much excitement being generated by this current young A’s core -- headlined by All-Star rookie shortstop Jacob Wilson and newly crowned American League Rookie of the Month Nick Kurtz -- Gelof is considered an equally important part of this group. He burst onto the scene as a rookie in 2023, hitting .267 with an .841 OPS, 14 home runs, 20 doubles, 32 RBIs and 14 stolen bases in 69 games.
Even Gelof’s down 2024 season, in which he hit .211 with a .632 OPS, had flashes of his dynamic abilities with 17 homers and 25 stolen bases, while also grading out as one of the better defensive second basemen in the Majors.
"He’s a part of this group,” Kotsay said. “We felt like it was important to give him this opportunity. This group out there today is a group that you can talk about going forward as a group that could be here for a while and win together.”
That group is a talented, young and mostly homegrown roster. Friday’s starting lineup featured an entire starting outfield and infield compiled of players drafted by the club. According to MLB Research, before Friday, there had only been 220 games in the Majors since 1969 in which a team’s starting lineup featured an entire infield and outfield comprised of its own Draft picks.
Of that group, there was Clarke homering and tripling, Max Muncy smacking a pair of doubles, Lawrence Butler and Wilson combining for three RBIs and Kurtz launching his 13th homer of the year, which is now tied for most among Major League rookies.
"I think it speaks volumes to the organization,” Kotsay said. “From the scouting department to our baseball operations department. You’ve got guys that were drafted and developed. That shows the amount of work that the scouting department and development side has done to get them here and to prepare them.”