A's Will Be Without Two Big Names When Spring Games Begin

The main goal of any franchise during Spring Training is to make it through camp healthy. This season, a number of teams are already facing issues, with Minnesota's Pablo Lopez likely to miss the season with an elbow injury, while Francisco Lindor, Corbin Carroll and Jackson Holliday have all undergone surgery for hamate injuries.

The A's have thus far avoided any new injuries cropping up, but they have a couple of players that are still recovering from injuries they suffered last season.

According to MLB.com's Martín Gallegos, "Zack Gelof and Lawrence Butler will miss the start of Cactus League games for the A's. No setbacks. Gelof is still building up his swing progression. Butler is in the final stages of rehab from offseason knee surgery and will likely be held out of games until mid-spring."

Gelof dislocated his left shoulder when diving for a ball in Pittsburgh in late September, ending his season. He had surgery a couple of days later to repair the issue, and is now on track to be in games fairly soon. He just has to go through his swing progression to get to the point where he's able to play in competitive games.

Last week Gelof mentioned that he may not be ready for full games by the time Team Israel is set to kick off their schedule, which is part of the reason he isn't on the roster this World Baseball Classic.

As for Lawrence Butler, when the 2025 season ended, it came out that Butler needed surgery after suffering a patellar tendon strain in his right knee. He'd been playing through it for a couple of weeks at the end of the year.

While these injuries can take months to recover from, the fact that he's expected to get back into game action midway through camp should be an encouraging sign for the A's having a full complement of players available when the regular season rolls around.

Options in case of a setback

There is no guarantee that Gelof makes the Opening Day roster this season after struggling in 2024 and then having his 2025 season decimated by injuries. That said, he will be looking to add some versatility to his resumé this spring, and that could be his path to playing time with the A's.

As for Butler, a potential start on the IL following a setback in his rehab would likely open the door for Carlos Cortes to get more playing time to begin the year. He was used primarily as a pinch-hitting option in his time with the A's last season, and he excelled in that role, being able to prepare for a limited number of pitchers on a staff.

Cortes is the only left-handed outfield option on the 40-man roster, and was solid against both left and right-handed pitching.

The other option would be to add a non-roster candidate to the 40-man. In terms of left-handed options, former Seattle Mariner Cade Marlowe could be an interesting pick for a quick look in Sacramento after spending most of last season in the minors recovering from back surgery.

We'll have six weeks to see how Butler progresses, and what other options could make their cases this spring.