NEW YORK — The Oakland Athletics are likely to see the return of catcher Shea Langeliers on Monday after he has been sidelined for roughly three and a half weeks due to a strained left oblique.
“We anticipate getting a key player back tomorrow,” said manager Mark Kotsay on Sunday. “Shea Langeliers is set to rejoin us in Tampa.”
The injury occurred on June 5 when Langeliers fouled off a pitch thrown by Minnesota’s Kody Funderburk.
Langeliers has been on a minor league rehabilitation stint with Triple-A Las Vegas, which he began on Wednesday. During this time, he impressed with an 8-for-13 performance, including one home run and four RBIs over three games leading up to Sunday.
For the Athletics, Langeliers has maintained a batting average of .237, adding 10 home runs and 27 RBIs to his stats. However, before his injury, he struggled with a .172 average over his last 18 games. After last year’s All-Star break, Langeliers managed a .241 average, which contributed significantly to the team.
Kotsay acknowledged Langeliers’ value to the team, saying, “He plays a crucial role in the squad and was pivotal to the success we experienced in the second half of last season.”