Brent

Rooker

The 31-year-old slugger underwent season-ending knee surgery earlier in July to address cartilage issues. Nothing has changed in his prognosis, this was done as a procedural move to clear a spot on the team’s 40-man roster for the promotion of Tommy White on Friday. Rooker is expected to be fully recovered and ready to go for the start of the 2027 season.

Rooker will undergo a procedure to address cartilage issues after hitting the injured list with a bone bruise in his left knee back in early June. The latest development comes just days after he began a running and hitting progression. The 31-year-old power-hitter finishes with an underwhelming .200/.281/.389 slash line with 10 homers, 29 RBI and two steals in 203 plate appearances over 48 games. His absence is a significant hit to the Athletics’ playoff hopes as it’ll be challenging to replace his presence as a middle-of-the-order run-producing threat.

Rooker is starting to make some progress after hitting the injured list with a bone bruise in his left knee back on June 12. The power-hitting 31-year-old is likely to require a couple minor league rehab games to get back up to speed before jumping back in to the Athletics lineup. He isn’t too far away from making it back.

Rooker remains in a holding pattern after hitting the injured list with a bone bruise in his left knee back on June 12. The 31-year-old slugger remains without a definitive return timeline. There was optimism he would be ready to return after a minimum stay on the shelf, but that didn’t end up happening.

Rooker had missed Wednesday’s game against the Brewers due to the issue and didn’t feel any improvement after Thursday’s off day, so they’ll sit him down and let the injury heal properly. Jacob Wilson was activated from the injured list in a corresponding move on Friday.

It’s an unfortunate development for fantasy managers since Rooker will miss out on an opportunity to hit in the launching pad that is Las Vegas Ballpark for the second straight game. Athletics manager Mark Kotsay told reporters they’ll wait until Friday’s series opener against the Rockies before making a decision regarding a potential injured list stint. There should be a definitive update on his status later this week.

Make that two homers in three games for Rooker, who hasn’t lived up to draft-day expectations so far this season. He’s already dealt with an oblique injury and a minor knee issue, but his strikeout rate is up after he lowered it significantly in 2025. Over the past four seasons, it has gone from 32 percent to 28 percent to 22 percent. It’s back over 30 percent in 2026. Rooker and the entire Athletics lineup will look to heat up over the next two weeks. They’re set to begin a 13-game homestand in hitter-friendly Sacramento on Monday.

Rooker was held out of the lineup on Thursday against the Cubs, though he did appear as a pinch hitter. He’s serving as the A’s designated hitter and batting cleanup against Astros’ right-hander Peter Lambert on Friday evening in Houston.

Rooker was out of the starting lineup as a break while dealing with knee soreness. He’ll likely be back in the DH spot on Friday.

Rooker knocked a base hit to drive in a run before scoring on a single in the third inning. After drawing a walk in the fifth, he took Ryan Johnson deep for a two-run homer in the eighth. The 31-year-old slugger is up to seven homers and 24 RBI while hitting .200/.285/.392 across 137 plate appearances.