Athletics slugger Brent Rooker to have season-ending knee surgery

By: The Associated Press Posted: 8:17 PM CDT Wednesday, Jul. 1, 2026

WEST SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) — Athletics designated hitter Brent Rooker will undergo surgery to repair a cartilage tear in his left knee and miss the remainder of the season.

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WEST SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) — Athletics designated hitter Brent Rooker will undergo surgery to repair a cartilage tear in his left knee and miss the remainder of the season.

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WEST SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) — Athletics designated hitter Brent Rooker will undergo surgery to repair a cartilage tear in his left knee and miss the remainder of the season.

“This is a big blow,” manager Mark Kotsay said Wednesday before the A’s played the Los Angeles Dodgers. “It’s a middle-of-the-order bat. It’s a guy that produced for us offensively for the last three seasons with 30-plus homers. There’s not one guy that is going to come in here and step in with that type of production. We’ll do our best to fill that void and make the best of the situation.”

The tear was discovered during an examination Tuesday at Stanford.

Athletics designated hitter Brent Rooker rounds the bases after hitting a solo home run against the Houston Astros during the fifth inning of a baseball game, Sunday, June 7, 2026, in Houston. (AP Photo/Eric Christian Smith)

A two-time All-Star, Rooker hasn’t played since June 8.

Rooker played in all 162 games in 2025 but was in and out of the lineup this season due to his knee and a nagging oblique issue. The 31-year-old slugger was batting .200 with 10 home runs and 29 RBIs before he was placed on the injured list June 12, retroactive to June 9.

In addition to Rooker being sidelined, three other A’s starters landed on the IL in late June: infielders Zack Gelof (bruised right hand) and Jacob Wilson (right thumb inflammation), and left fielder Tyler Soderstrom (left hip impingement).