Athletics Option Gelof to Triple-A Las Vegas, Activate Urías From IL

Nine days after activating Zack Gelof from the 60-day injured list, the Athletics optioned the 25-year-old second baseman back to Triple-A Las Vegas on July 13, pairing the move with the reinstatement of Luis Urías from the 10-day injured list. The transaction came before Sunday's 6-3 win over the Blue Jays at Sutter Health Park in West Sacramento.

The numbers that forced the decision were brutal for a player the organization had hoped would finally find his footing in 2025. Since making his season debut on July 4, Gelof went 2-for-25 (.080) with 13 strikeouts across eight games. Manager Mark Kotsay was direct about the reasoning. "Zack's been a part of this group and will be a part of this group," Kotsay said. "Right now, I think with the adjustments that need to be made offensively, it's difficult to make those adjustments here. The move to send him to Triple-A is to get him going and build his confidence back up." He added: "For him to be able to make those adjustments, it's going to be a lot easier there than it is here."

Gelof's 2025 season had been derailed long before those eight futile games. He began the year on the injured list after right hamate surgery on March 24, then went on a rehab assignment with Las Vegas on April 29 before being placed on the 60-day injured list on May 23. A second rehab stint started June 17, during which he hit .244 with a .448 on-base percentage over 14 games with the Aviators before earning his activation.

The struggles since July 4 represent the latest chapter in a turbulent run for a player who announced himself as a legitimate piece of the A's future with a .267 average, .841 OPS, 14 home runs, 20 doubles, 32 RBI, and 14 stolen bases across 69 games as a rookie in 2023. His sophomore year in 2024 produced 17 home runs and 25 stolen bases but a .211 average and .632 OPS, a regression the organization had hoped this season would correct.

Urías, who filled the second base job while Gelof was sidelined, returns after missing eight games with a strained right hamstring. He was placed on the 10-day IL on July 4, retroactive to July 3, and came back on the first day he was eligible. Before the injury, the 28-year-old was batting .239 with seven home runs and 18 RBI in 71 games, having started 63 games at second base and four at third base as a member of the Opening Day roster. With Urías entering free agency after the season, the A's have incentive to maximize his exposure before the July 31 trade deadline, when the likelihood of a deal is described as fairly high if the organization can find a willing buyer.

The A's have navigated this road before. Lawrence Butler, Tyler Soderstrom, and Max Muncy all absorbed mid-career demotions before finding their footing at the major league level. Gelof's path back runs through Las Vegas, and his 2025 Triple-A line before the option, 12 home runs, 31 RBI, and a .888 OPS in 176 at-bats, suggests the tools are still there.