The Athletics just lost one of the few hitters in their lineup who forces opposing pitchers to stay awake.
Brent Rooker’s 2026 season is over after cartilage damage in his left knee pushed him toward season-ending surgery. He had not played since June 8, when he landed on the injured list with a bone bruise. Before the injury shut him down, he hit .200/.281/.389 with 10 home runs and 29 RBI in 48 games.
That line doesn’t look like the Rooker people have come to know in recent years, but the name still carries weight. He’s a two-time All-Star and had gone over 30 home runs in each of the last three seasons.
For the Mariners, that matters. The AL West already has enough moving parts, and Seattle has plenty of its own issues to sort through. But taking Rooker out of the picture removes one more dangerous bat from a division race that has already been messy.
The Athletics still won’t be a team anyone can coast against. Injured teams can still make life miserable, and this one has had its share of bodies missing. Jacob Wilson, Tyler Soderstrom and Zack Gelof have also spent time on the injured list, leaving manager Mark Kotsay to keep patching together lineups with too many holes.
Seattle has its own problems, too. The Mariners are still dealing with injuries, the rotation has only done its job part of the time, the bullpen has been uneven, and the lineup has been fragile, streaky and exhausting at times. Rooker’s injury doesn’t erase any of that.
It does, though, make the division a little less intimidating. The A’s still have Shea Langeliers, Nick Kurtz and Lawrence Butler to lean on, and Kurtz is the biggest threat of the bunch. He’s hitting .276/.421/.516 with 19 home runs and 64 RBI and is already a heavy favorite in the MVP race.
Even so, there’s less certainty now. Rooker was another hitter pitchers had to plan around.
Without him, the Athletics’ lineup is easier to work through. Not easy.
Just easier.
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