The Athletics’ catching situation took a brutal turn Friday, with All-Star Shea Langeliers landing on the 10-day injured list because of a torn meniscus in his right knee. The move is retroactive to July 25, and Brian Serven has been recalled from Triple-A Las Vegas to fill the roster spot.
Jeff Passan of ESPN reported that Langeliers was hurt on the basepaths during the current series against the Twins. The injury could wipe out the rest of his season, and he is now weighing whether to have surgery.
If he goes that route, the recovery window would typically be six to eight weeks, which would effectively keep him out until 2027 since the A’s are nine games back in the Wild Card race and have no incentive to bring him back for a handful of September games. More information on the surgery decision and timeline is expected in the coming days.
For Oakland, this is another painful hit in a season already packed with them. Brent Rooker had season-ending knee surgery at the start of July after struggling to an 82 wRC+ this year.
Zack Gelof missed time after a knee laceration a couple of weeks ago and is still sidelined. Nick Kurtz went on the 10-day IL before the All-Star break, though he returned yesterday after a two-week absence.
Joshua Kuroda-Grauer and Denzel Clarke are also hurt, and the pitching staff has three arms on both the 15-day and 60-day injured lists.
Langeliers was the most important of those absences by a wide margin. In 416 plate appearances, he hit .263/.332/.497 with 23 home runs and a 127 wRC+.
That wRC+ is second on the team behind Kurtz and ranks second among qualified catchers in the Junior Circuit, trailing only the Tigers’ Dillon Dingler. He also gave the A’s real value behind the plate, posting 5 Defensive Runs Saved in 2026 after finishing at -10 DRS in each of the previous two seasons.
That combination made him one of the club’s most valuable position players and one of the better catchers in the game. With Langeliers sidelined, Jonah Heim is expected to handle the bulk of the catching duties for now.
Since coming over from the Braves in a cash trade in May, Heim has hit .233/.278/.433 with a 92 wRC+ in 162 plate appearances. That profile works as a backup, but it is a steep drop from Langeliers as a starter.
Heim is also an impending free agent, which gives the A’s another decision to make. Anthony Franco noted in MLBTR’s Trade Deadline Outlook entry on Oakland that the Twins’ Ryan Jeffers and the Rockies’ Hunter Goodman have come up as possible targets for clubs looking for catching help. Jeffers could move even if Minnesota doesn’t fully sell, while Goodman would be a much tougher get because he’s controlled through 2029 and would require a massive return.
If the A’s decide to move Heim, Serven could wind up starting behind the plate for the final two months. He is the only other catcher on the 40-man roster besides Langeliers and Heim, so trading Heim would likely force Oakland to add some inexpensive depth.
Langeliers had been viewed as a long-shot trade possibility, in part because the A’s have not extended him the way they have some of their other young players. He is controllable beyond 2026, which would have made him expensive in trade talks, and Oakland still hopes to contend in 2027.
Now, though, any trade talk is effectively over. The focus has shifted to his recovery and getting him back healthy for 2027.
In Other News...
Twins Rotation Suddenly Has A New Injury Problem
The Twins rotation took another hit this week, with Joe Ryan working through arm fatigue and getting back on the mound after a bullpen session, a reassuring sign for a staff that has been trying to hold together its depth for much of the season. Ryans status matters because he has been one of the anchors at the top of the rotation, and even a short scare around him can ripple through a group that has already been asked to absorb plenty of innings.
Minnesota is also dealing with more than one setback behind him, which only sharpens the focus on how much pitching help the club can realistically count on down the stretch. With the front office already having to think about coverage and contingency plans, the latest round of injuries has made the rotation picture feel a lot thinner than it did not long ago. [Read more 🡒]
Twins Shortstop Decision Feels Closer Than Ever After Kreidler Slide
Ryan Kreidlers bat has been trending the wrong way for more than a month, but the Twins have kept finding reasons to lean on his glove. The utility man gave them a useful early-season boost and still offers the kind of defensive versatility that matters on a roster that is always shifting, especially at shortstop where reliability can be hard to come by.
The timing, though, is getting harder to ignore. Minnesota has been reshuffling infield pieces around him, and the organization now has another option moving closer to the picture in Kaelen Culpepper. Kreidlers recent surge was enough to remind everyone what he can do when the ball starts finding gaps, but the bigger question for the Twins is whether that brief lift can change the direction of a job that suddenly feels much less settled. [Read more 🡒]
Rays May Be Pushing Twins Toward A Deadline Decision Fans Dread
The Twins have spent enough of the summer trying to stay afloat that the trade deadline is starting to look less like a chance to add and more like a moment to make hard choices. Tampa Bays heavy scouting of Minnesota is only sharpening that possibility, because the Rays rarely sit around without a plan, and the Twins know they have players with enough offensive value and team control to draw real interest.
Ryan Jeffers and Trevor Larnach fit the kind of profile that can tempt a front office into listening, especially with Minnesota carrying enough internal depth to absorb some of the blow if it decides to move in that direction. Larnachs bat has been one of the more reliable parts of the lineup, while Jeffers brings the sort of production that can matter to contenders, which is why this conversation feels less hypothetical by the day and more like the kind of deadline call fans would rather not see answered. [Read more 🡒]