Rooker injured all during spectacular season; he undergoes arm surgery

Brent Rooker turning in what was arguably the greatest offensive season by an A’s player in over two decades is now even more remarkable given some important context.

During an end-of-season Zoom media session on Friday morning, A’s general manager David Forst revealed that Rooker underwent surgery on Tuesday – two days after the final game of the regular season – in the Bay Area with Dr. Michael Freehill to clean up a forearm extensor injury that prevented him from playing the outfield for most of the 2024 season.

“He was not 100% healthy all year,” Forst said of Rooker. “I’m not a doctor, but it strikes me as very impressive that he was able to battle through what he did and put up the offensive season that he had.”

Appearing as the designated hitter for 131 of his 145 games, Rooker -- a nominee for the 2024 All-MLB Team -- followed up on his 2023 All-Star campaign by hitting .293 with a .927 OPS, 39 home runs and 112 RBIs. Despite the nagging forearm issue, he emerged as one of the elite hitters in the game and became the first A’s player to finish a season with a batting average of at least .290, at least 30 home runs and at least 100 RBIs since Miguel Tejada’s 2002 AL MVP campaign.

Rooker’s 164 wRC+ this season ranked seventh among all Major League hitters. The six players ahead of him constitute a star-studded list of MVP candidates:

Aaron Judge (218)
Shohei Ohtani (181)
Juan Soto (180)
Yordan Alvarez (168)
Bobby Witt Jr. (168)
Vladimir Guerrero Jr. (165)

“Rook was on the training table every day and made sure he got out there and got his swings,” Forst said. “He was the guy we wanted up in every situation. … He was absolutely the anchor in the middle of the lineup that we’ve been looking for really since [Khris Davis] was doing what he was doing. I’m thrilled to have Rook and thrilled for his success.”

Asked about areas of improvement for a young A’s club that ended ‘24 with a record of 69-93 – a 17-win improvement from 2023 – Forst indicated that lengthening the lineup is something the club views as a priority in order to take the next step toward contending for a playoff spot next season. With Rooker expected to be fully healthy for Spring Training, the slugger’s ability to slot back into an outfield spot could open up the team’s options to add another impact bat.

“With Rook, it definitely is an option for us to utilize him in the outfield next year,” manager Mark Kotsay said. “Our biggest thing as we talk about lengthening the lineup, if we can do that with utilizing the DH position to add another bat and Rook can go out and play the outfield, that’s going to make us better. We’re always looking to maximize our roster, and with Rook being able to play the outfield, it’s definitely going to help us do that.”