With Jacob Wilson also nursing a shoulder injury, the A's had no choice but to give Gelof's hand the time it needs
After Matt Chapman stepped on his right hand on Tuesday, Zack Gelof immediately came off the field with what was deemed a laceration and a contusion by the A's. Before Wednesday's game, manager Mark Kotsay said there was still a decent amount of swelling and that they would be giving it another 24 hours to determine next steps.
While the swelling has gone down a bit on Thursday, the A's have still decided to place him on the 10-day injured list. Taking his spot on the roster is shortstop Alika Williams, who has shown some tremendous skill with the glove when he's been given opportunities this season.
One has to wonder how much the Gelof IL stint is related to Jacob Wilson's own reaggravated shoulder injury on Wednesday night. Wilson was able to stay in the game until the ninth inning last night, but when a big spot in the game came up with a chance to add on, Kotsay turned to Jonah Heim off the bench since Wilson wasn't able to swing a bat effectively.
That led to Heim playing third base while Max Muncy slid over to his natural shortstop for the bottom of the ninth.
Obviously Gelof's timeline was already going to be dictated by the swelling that was being shown on Thursday morning, but with no true third base option, a move had to be made even if Wilson and Gelof were going to be out for only a couple of days.
Now on the IL, Gelof will get the time needed to let his hand fully recover.
Notes
Williams is playing shortstop and batting ninth on Thursday, while Muncy is playing third base and batting seventh. In two games with the Las Vegas Aviators since being optioned, Williams had gone 3-for-7 with a double and a home run in Sacramento against the River Cats.
With Rooker, Gelof and Wilson all missing from the A's lineup, they're looking a little top-heavy at the moment with Henry Bolte, Nick Kurtz, Shea Langeliers and Tyler Soderstrom securing the top four spots.
Mark Kotsay does not have media availability prior to day games, so there is no update on either player's status since last night, though Martín Gallegos notes that the swelling on Gelof's hand "has gone down a little bit." He also noted that there was a bottle of wine sitting in Gelof's locker from Chapman this morning.
JOIN Athletics Roundtable to discuss the latest news with our staff, and fans like you!
