Top A's prospect Wilson delivers in his 'second' MLB debut

CINCINNATI -- Not every Major Leaguer gets a chance to do his Major League debut all over again.

But for all intents and purposes, Jacob Wilson got just that opportunity Tuesday night at Great American Ball Park.

Wilson, the No. 1 A’s prospect per MLB Pipeline, collected his second big league hit and threw out a runner at the plate as he enjoyed the experience of finishing a game for the first time in Oakland’s 5-4 win.

On July 19 in Oakland, his big league debut ended nearly as quickly as it began. After a single off Angels starter Griffin Canning in the third inning in his first Major League plate appearance, Wilson strained his left hamstring running the bases and had to leave the game.

The 22-year-old shortstop was reinstated from the injured list before Tuesday’s game, batted ninth and went 1-for-4 with a bloop hit in the seventh that preceded Lawrence Butler’s Statcast-projected 444-foot homer to right-center that put the A’s up, 4-1. Wilson's two assists on ground balls in the second inning saved a run and kept the game scoreless.

That’s not to say he didn’t have a little help from his teammates, as catcher Shea Langeliers picked his throw to the plate out of the dirt to apply the tag on TJ Friedl.

“Shea made a great pick,” Wilson said. “He picked me up. And I was just saying, ‘Great play!’”

So, his “second debut” went pretty well, and he was around for the final handshake, unlike on July 19 when he was just an observer to Oakland’s 13-3 win.

“The first one obviously got cut short with the hamstring injury,” Wilson said. “I got one at-bat, a couple ground balls. But today definitely felt like a second debut day for sure. And just [to] be able to go out there and see Spence do this thing, and he did great.

“And then all the relievers who came in and to get the W was a pretty fun day.”

Were his nerves any different Tuesday than on July 19?

“I think probably the same,” Wilson said. “It was a great day. Got to come [out] on top with a win and as a team, we played a great game. So it's pretty awesome.”

After Wilson went 9-for-23 (.391) with three doubles, two walks and five RBIs in seven rehab games for Triple-A Las Vegas, A’s manager Mark Kotsay and the organization knew he was ready for a second chance.

“It's good to have the kid back,” Kotsay said. “He's worked really hard in this rehab process to get that hamstring ready to go. And, you know, we were excited to just get him back out there and give him an opportunity to show us what he can do.”