Jacob Wilson leading off Saturday vs. White Sox

Wilson missed just a smidgen over the minimum 10-day stint while recovering from inflammation in his right thumb. The 24-year-old should be in the lineup everyday — with a break or two here and there — as long as he’s healthy enough to play. That’s been an issue in 2026, however, as injuries have limited the talented shortstop to just 50 games.

The Athletics attempted to give Wilson some time off to avoid a trip to the injured list, but they were left with little choice heading into Monday’s series opener against the Dodgers after he missed their previous four contests with a shoulder issue. It’s a bit strange to see him hit the shelf with a different injury altogether. No word yet concerning how much time the 24-year-old shortstop will miss. He’s been snake-bitten by injuries this season, which have limited him to just 50 games.

It’s the fourth consecutive game that Wilson has missed due to a left shoulder injury, though he is improving and is once again expected to be available off the bench on Sunday. Ailka Williams will once again start in his place at shortstop and will bat ninth against Angels’ left-hander Sam Aldegheri.

Wilson is out of the lineup for a third straight game with a left shoulder injury sustained Wednesday. Alika Williams is again filling in for him.

Wilson was pulled from Wednesday’s game after injuring his shoulder while attempting to avoid a tag in the fifth inning. The A’s still don’t believe that it’s serious enough to warrant a return trip to the injured list, but if this lingers through the weekend, they may be forced to reconsider that stance.

Butler was on the wrong side of what was the game’s biggest play through six; with the bases loaded and two outs, he came up a little short on a diving attempt at Jung Hoo Lee’s liner to right and had the ball get by him for a three-run triple. The Giants were up 6-2 at that point, but the A’s came back with two in the seventh. In the eighth, Butler doubled to the wall in center. It looked like Jonah Cox had it all of the way, but he missed it at the end. Butler then came around to score on a Jeff McNeil single. In the ninth, Butler had the third of four singles off Caleb Kilian, giving the A’s a 7-6 lead. Butler is batting .342 with two homers, four doubles and two steals in his last 13 games, raising his OPS from .489 to .585. He needs to stay hot to ensure that he keeps starting against righties after Brent Rooker returns, but things are finally looking up.

Wilson left Wednesday’s game against San Francisco while dealing with an issue in his left shoulder, and the 24-year-old will be out of action for at least one game while recovering. Recently-promoted Alika Williams will handle shortstop duties while Wilson recovers.

Wilson was injured trying to avoid a tag at home in the fifth inning. The A’s offered no official word on his status after the game. If he needs to return to the IL, the A’s would likely recall Darell Hernaiz or Alika Williams.

Butler’s day was a kind — if frustrating — reminder of why so many were so high on his fantasy potential not that long ago. Even with his fifth homer of the season and fifth steal of the campaign, he’s still slashing an ugly .193/.274/.305 on the season. It’s too early to just completely give up on Butler someday reaching his fantasy potential considering he’s still just 25, but obviously you cannot rely on seeing many more performances like this going forward.

Wilson’s two-run homer in the seventh got the A’s to within four runs at 11-7. The Athletics would score the next five in the comeback win. The 24-year-old has picked up hits in his last six games after missing a month with a shoulder injury, and he’s now slashing .287/.315/.404 with four homers and 26 RBI. The flaws are pretty obvious, but Wilson certainly has his selling points, too.