For the Oakland Athletics, the high of Wednesday’s victory vanished in the first inning of Thursday’s series decider against the New York Yankees. The A’s hero from the last win pulled up in obvious pain while batting in the first.

“Brent Rooker leaves the game in the first inning after this swing,” Talkin’ Baseball shared via X.

In the previous game on Wednesday, Brent Rooker’s tiebreaking sacrifice fly in the ninth inning helped the A’s earn a 3-2 victory, and tonight he is the one who walked off the field with discomfort.

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The Yankees’ Ryan Weathers started tonight and threw a changeup to Rooker at home plate. He swung and fouled it off, but looked to tweak something in the process.

The Athletics trainer visited Rooker, ultimately getting removed from the game.

Shortly after his exit, the Athletics announced that Rooker was removed from the game due to right flank discomfort. He will likely undergo an MRI to assess the full extent of the strain.

Lawrence Butler replaced Rooker in the game.

Looking at the footage, it looked like a minor tweak in his waist or legs, and shouldn’t be a case to enter the Injury List. However, even missing him for a couple of games would come hard for the A’s.

In the last game, his sacrifice fly won the game for the A’s. But that’s not all.

Last Sunday, Rooker homered twice and had a career-high six RBIs, including a three-run shot in the bottom of the 10th inning to give the A’s a 12-10 victory over the Astros.

Plus, the A’s are currently struggling in the AL West with a 4-7 record.

Rooker signed a 5-year, $60 million contract extension with the A’s in 2025, covering the 2025–2029 seasons. And guess what, he finished last year on a high.

He batted .262 with 30 HRs and 89 RBI across 162 games. In addition, he displayed significant durability and power, adding 40 doubles and achieving 300+ total bases for the second consecutive season. 

So, we hope that Rooker will be back soon. Meanwhile, the A’s have Nick Kurtz to take care of their business.

The A’s potential in 2026 is more than just Brent Rooker

While missing Rooker would be a huge blow for the team, there are still a few names who could carry the A’s offense.

Nick Kurtz, who is currently hitting just .189 and no homers, may sound low-key, but insiders are betting on him.

“It’d be ridiculous to think that the Baseball Writers’ Association of America would even consider an MVP on a team that barely scratches the surface of 80 wins. However, if the A’s are going to have any kind of success, Kurtz might have a lot to do with that,” USA Today’s Marcus D. Smith made a bold prediction.

Aaron Judge’s dominance in the AL MVP race is predicted to be challenged by Kurtz this year. And there are reasons behind it.

Kurtz scored 36 homers in 117 games last year. And the best part is that his .290 average even topped established names like Alex Bregman (.273) and Kyle Tucker (.266).

Even if Rooker gets sidelined, Kurtz could lead the A’s offense.

Then, there’s Shea Langeliers, one more name out of the A’s camp predicted with huge numbers this year.

Currently, he is hitting .289 and has scored 5 homers, which speaks a lot about his dominance.

“Shea Langeliers will hit 50-plus homers,” ESPN’s Jesse Rogers predicts.

Seems like the A’s got enough in their arsenal this year to go beyond 80 wins.