The Athletics received encouraging news on catcher Shea Langeliers after Friday night's game against the Miami Marlins, as X-rays on his injured left thumb came back negative.
Langeliers suffered a left thumb contusion after jamming his glove hand while attempting to catch a passed ball on a sweeper that backed up in the first inning.
He remained in the game until the fourth inning before being replaced, and manager Mark Kotsay said the 28-year-old is day-to-day and will be reevaluated Saturday.
The update comes as a relief for the Athletics, who have already dealt with several key injuries this season. Langeliers has been one of the club's most productive hitters and remains an important part of both the lineup and pitching staff after emerging as one of the American League's top catchers.
Langeliers, the ninth overall pick in the 2019 MLB Draft by the Atlanta Braves, was acquired by the Athletics in the March 2022 Matt Olson trade and made his major league debut later that season.
Through 79 games this year, he is batting .265 with a .330 on-base percentage, a .497 slugging percentage, 20 home runs and 44 RBIs while establishing himself as one of Oakland's offensive leaders.
The Athletics entered Saturday with a 41-46 record, sitting fourth in the American League West.
Scott Marshall-Imagn Images
With Brent Rooker sidelined for the season and Jacob Wilson and Tyler Soderstrom also spending time on the injured list, keeping Langeliers available is especially important for an offense already missing several regular contributors.
No injured list move has been announced, and the negative X-rays leave open the possibility that Langeliers could avoid missing significant time. His reevaluation on Saturday is expected to determine whether he will be available for the remainder of the series against the Marlins as the Athletics hope to keep one of their top hitters in the lineup.
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