Athletics designated hitter Brent Rooker will undergo season-ending surgery to repair torn cartilage in his left knee, manager Mark Kotsay announced Wednesday.
Rooker hasn't played since June 8, a few days before being placed on the injured list. At the time he was first sidelined, the A's called his injury a bone bruise.
On Monday, the A's said that Rooker had started both running and hitting progression programs in his quest to return, according to Martín Gallegos of MLB.com. His prognosis changed Tuesday, though, when he left the team to be reevaluated by doctors at Stanford University.
"This is a big blow. It's a middle-of-the-order bat. It's a guy that's produced for us offensively for the last three seasons," Kotsay said, according to Kevin John of ABC 10 Sacramento.
It's a disappointing end to an injury-plagued season for the two-time All-Star. Rooker hit a career-worst .200/.281/.389 with 10 homers and 29 RBIs over 48 games. He also missed time in April due to an oblique strain.
The 31-year-old is in the second season of a five-year, $60-million extension he signed in 2025.
Rooker's season-ending surgery is the latest piece of bad injury news to befall the A's. Outfielder Tyler Soderstrom, shortstop Jacob Wilson, and hot-hitting utility player Zack Gelof were all placed on the IL over the past week, dealing even more blows to the team's starting lineup. The A's have also been without outfielder Denzel Clarke and right-hander Luis Severino for much of the year.
The A's have rotated various players through the DH spot since Rooker's injury. Shea Langeliers, Jonah Heim, and Joey Meneses are among the candidates to keep seeing at-bats at DH down the stretch.
Kotsay's club entered play Wednesday sitting 3.5 games out of the final AL playoff spot.
