The Athletics have placed designated hitter/outfielder Brent Rooker on the 10-day injured list (retroactive to June 9) with a bone bruise in his left knee, per Martin Gallegos of MLB.com. The team reinstated shortstop Jacob Wilson from the IL to take Rooker’s roster spot.
The injury continues a rough start for Rooker, who is already up to two IL placements after playing all 162 of the A’s games in 2025. Rooker missed about three weeks with an oblique strain in April. When healthy, the 31-year-old has slashed a disappointing .200/.281/.389 (82 wRC+) with 10 home runs in 203 plate appearances. Rooker’s 32 percent strikeout rate is up nearly 10 points from last year’s mark, while his .312 xwOBA is not significantly better than an underwhelming .295 wOBA.
Rooker’s struggles have come as a surprise, as the former waiver claim entered 2026 off three straight 30-homer campaigns. The Athletics gave him a five-year, $60MM extension in January 2025, at which point he was coming off a career season. Rooker walked to the plate 614 times in 2024 and slashed .293/.365/.562 with 39 homers and the majors’ sixth-best wRC+ (164). While his numbers took sizable steps backward last year, he still batted .262/.335/.479 (122 wRC+) with 30 homers in 699 trips to the plate.
The A’s will likely use a committee approach at DH for the time being. Carlos Cortes got most of the run there during Rooker’s first injured list stint. Cortes is hitting .310/.396/.494 across 182 plate appearances and has remained a regular in the corner outfield. Giving him a few more DH reps could get Lawrence Butler back in the lineup after he’s been supplanted by Henry Bolte in center field. The Rockies are running rookie southpaw Sean Sullivan for his MLB debut tonight. The A’s will keep Cortes and Butler on the bench against the lefty, using backup catcher Jonah Heim at DH.
Wilson draws back in at shortstop as the #5 hitter. His return moves Alika Williams into a utility role. Wilson, who has hit .292/.311/.398 through 168 plate appearances, is back from a month-long absence due to a dislocated left shoulder.
