Will Zack Gelof's New Role Earn Him an Opening Day Spot?
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After a monstrous breakout in the second half of the 2023 season, it's been a tough go of things the past two years for A's second baseman Zack Gelof.
He had a down year in 2024, and was hard at work to make sure that didn't happen again in 2025, but a right hamate fracture on a hit-by-pitch at the end of camp knocked him out at the beginning of the year. Then he had a setback in his recovery when he had a stress reaction in his ribs, and he ended the season by dislocating his left shoulder in Pittsburgh in late September.
The fact that he's good to go at this point is a testament to Gelof's work over the offseason to get him ready for Spring Training. The question now is where does he fit?
After the A's traded for Jeff McNeil, Gelof's home at second base was more or less given away, as McNeil has been a solid player at the keystone for years. This will give the A's more certainty at a key spot, too, after Gelof's offensive struggles the past two seasons.
As Martín Gallegos wrote this week, the A's are considering giving Gelof some time in the outfield, which would be a completely new position for him. He earned all of one game in center back in 2022 with Double-A Midland. It's the only time in his pro or college career that he's played on the outfield grass.
That said, Tyler Soderstrom hadn't played out there at all since turning pro, starting as a catcher, then moving to first base, and from first base to left field. Soderstrom turned himself into a Gold Glove finalist in his first taste of the outfield.
Gelof's defense has been solid at second base in his time in the big leagues, coming in at above league average all three years. The hope here is that he can add some defensive versatility to his skillset in order to get some playing time.
Could this work?
While Gelof was mentioned as a potential quasi platoon option for the A's, the numbers he's generated don't necessarily fit that mix with anyone around the diamond. Across parts of his three seasons in the big leagues, Gelof has fared much better against right-handers all three years, even in his breakout campaign.
Career against LHP: .146 average, .234 OBP, 34 wRC+, 38.5% strikeout rate
Career against RHP: .250 average, .304 OBP, 112 wRC+, 31.7% strikeout rate
In the Gallegos article, Gelof also mentions that he's been working on flattening out his swing after it got a little elevated the past two seasons, which could help bring those splits a little closer, but even in 2023 he was excelling, he struggled against lefties (37 wRC+, .167 average, .250 OBP).
Gelof's bat is going to be the key to him finding a spot on the A's roster, while his defense could help bolster those odds. The main contenders he'd be up against would be Colby Thomas and Carlos Cortes, the expected extra outfielders on the roster.
The only two other bench spots are expected to go to Austin Wynns at backup catcher, and Andy Ibáñez, who can rake against lefties and play a solid third base.
Cortes is the A's lone projected left-handed bench bat, which could offer him a level of confidence for making the club out of camp. That said, he'll also be playing for the Puerto Rican club in the World Baseball Classic, which could complicate things just a bit if he struggles while someone else excels. Even then, it's not likely Gelof that takes that spot due to the handedness of the players.
That could leave Thomas, who could end up being a nice platoon partner for Lawrence Butler after the lefty swinger struggled against left-handed pitching in 2025. That said, Thomas played all three outfield positions and raked against lefties, making him the more logical fit on the roster to pair with Butler.
The only other option would be Denzel Clarke, who is arguably the best defender in baseball. Clarke hit just .230 with a .274 OBP overall last season across 47 games, but it looked like he was beginning to figure things out right before his season-ending right adductor strain injury in July.
Unless Clarke absolutely cannot hit, it's tough to see the A's getting Gelof playing time in center while not letting Clarke continue to track down balls at, or over, the wall.
Why the role makes some sense
The past two seasons, Max Schuemann had played a bit of a super-utility role for the A's, which is now more or less the job of Ibáñez—especially against left-handed pitching. Like Gelof, Schuemann had a blazing hot streak (though a little shorter) in his first season, but had sort of petered out since. This past season Schuemann ended up batting .197 with a .295 OBP and a 62 wRC+.
Schuemann was designated for assignment earlier this month, and then traded to the New York Yankees.
While his bat wasn't there, he was one of the team's best defenders while getting time at second, third, shortstop and all three outfield spots. That could be the type of role that Gelof earns, if he's hitting this spring.
The question would then become which adjustment to the roster would the A's make to fit him in there and give themselves seemingly two utility players? One of the aforementioned players would have to be left off the roster, unless there is an injury that switched up the roles for everyone.
All things considered, with McNeil at second base, adding versatility to Gelof's resumé is the right move, and it could be the only way he'd make it back to the big leagues the way the roster is put together this spring.
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Jason has been covering the A’s at various sites for over a decade, and was the original host of the Locked on A’s podcast. He also covers the Stanford Cardinal as they attempt to rebuild numerous programs to prominence.
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