The Athletics are off to a disappointing start to the season, going 4-7 over their first eleven games. It's still far too early in the season to panic, however, and going into Thursday, the A's had won two of their last three contests. One of those wins came via a walk-off home run off the bat of designated hitter Brent Rooker, who left Thursday's game against the New York Yankees mid at-bat after fouling a pitch off.
The injury occurred in the top of the first, with Rooker immediately favoring the lower right side of his back after fouling off an 84 mph changeup from Yankees southpaw Ryan Weathers. After a brief talk with head trainer Jeff Collins and manager Mark Kotsay, Rooker exited the game and outfielder Lawrence Butler pinch hit in his place.
Later on in the game, the Athletics announced that Rooker exited the game with "right flank discomfort" (h/t Martin Gallegos, MLB.com).
It's a frustrating setback for Rooker, who was just starting to heat up after an abysmal start to the season: through his first eight games, Rooker recorded just four hits and one run batted in. In his ninth game of the season, however, he played like the Rooker of old, clubbing two home runs and driving in six, including a three-run jack to walk the Houston Astros off in the tenth.
It has been a tumultuous couple of years for the Athletics franchise, who now find themselves in holding in Sacramento as they await the construction of their new stadium in Las Vegas.
But the 31-year-old Rooker has been one of the lone bright spots during this time, providing a steady, powerful presence at the plate. In his three full seasons with the Athletics, Rooker has been one of the lone sources of reliability for a dwindling fanbase that cannot confidently rely on much from their team.
In 2025, Rooker appeared in all 162 games for the Athletics. And while his offensive numbers may have peaked in the 2024 season, Rooker has been a consistent slugger in all three of his seasons with the A's: during that time, Rooker has averaged 33 home runs, 90 runs batted in and a .268 batting average with an .853 OPS.
"Right flank discomfort" could mean a large number of things, ranging anywhere from a game or two of rest to an IL stint. Until the exact severity of the injury is known, there's no telling what length of time Rooker will be sidelined for. At the very least, though, it seems that he will not be able to play all 162 games this season.
