The Athletics were dealing with more than a game on Wednesday night in West Sacramento.
As they wrapped up their series against the Dodgers at Sutter Health Park, the club was reeling from the news that Minor League outfielder Ryan Lasko had been critically injured the night before in Frisco, Texas. Lasko, the A’s No. 18 prospect, was playing center field for Double-A Midland when he collided with right fielder Devin Taylor while diving for a ball in the gap. He stayed on the ground for about 10 minutes before being carted off and taken to Texas Health Presbyterian Hospital Plano.
There, Lasko underwent spinal decompression and stabilization surgery after suffering a C6-C7 vertebra fracture. He is now in stable condition, though he currently has no feeling in his lower half.
Dr. Jonathan Poggi, who performed the operation, said there is hope Lasko will regain feeling, but that process is expected to take a significant amount of time.
Manager Mark Kotsay said the news left the organization shaken.
“The positive in the statement from the doctor is that there is not a definitive statement saying he’s not going to regain feeling in his lower half,” Kotsay said. “We send prayers to him, to his family, to his teammate, and the team, really.
This is a trying and emotional time for them. We need to be there to support them, and I know we are.
[A’s director of player development] Ed Sprague flew down [to Texas] this morning. Lasko’s family was with him there.
All the teammates are going to go visit him at some point and show support.”
A’s general manager David Forst also issued a statement Wednesday morning, saying the organization had been in contact with Lasko’s mother, Patti, and expressing gratitude to the Midland athletic trainers, the Frisco RoughRiders and the paramedics who responded on the scene. Forst said the club is encouraged by updates from Dr.
Poggi and will continue to direct all of its medical resources toward Lasko’s recovery. He also said Ed Sprague would be arriving in Frisco and that mental health professionals would be available to Midland players who need support.
“We ask that you respect the privacy of the Lasko family and our players at this time. We will provide medical updates as they become available.”
Lasko, 24, was selected by the A’s in the second round of the 2023 MLB Draft out of Rutgers University. He also spent time in big league camp this spring, where his defense stood out to Kotsay and the A’s coaching staff and has been described by scouts as elite.
“He’s a competitor,” Kotsay said. “He’s emotional.
Both of those things, I can vividly recall just being around him. And then just his passion for baseball.
… The biggest thing we can all do is hope and pray that he recovers the feeling in his lower half and always be there to support him.”
The club also had another medical update to pass along: A’s No. 4 prospect Wei-En Lin had successful surgery Tuesday with Dr. Neal ElAttrache to reconstruct his left ulnar collateral ligament.
Lin, 20, started the season at Double-A Midland before moving to Triple-A Las Vegas, where he finished with a 3.23 ERA in 12 starts, along with 54 strikeouts in 53 innings across both levels. He will rehab in Arizona with the A’s player development medical staff.
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