A's hold breath on Jacob Wilson's status against Angels

Jacob Wilson hopes to be able to shake off a strained left hamstring and return to the lineup Saturday afternoon when the Oakland Athletics attempt to continue a recent offensive rampage at the expense of the visiting Los Angeles Angels.

Wilson experienced the ups and downs of a big-league career within three innings of his debut Friday night, starting with fielding a grounder flawlessly on his first pitch as a major league shortstop.

With dad Jack, a former major leaguer, watching from the stands, Wilson looped a single in his first big-league at-bat in the third inning, igniting a celebration from teammates acknowledging the prize prospect's rare achievement.

Wilson was Oakland's first pick of the draft last year, going sixth overall, and earned a quick promotion by hitting .401 in 284 minor league at-bats bridging the 2023 and '24 seasons.

But the hoopla was short-lived as, six pitches after Wilson's hit, he alarmingly began limping badly as he approached home plate while scoring easily on a Lawrence Butler triple.

The 22-year-old attempted to talk the Oakland medical staff into staying in the game, and even ran several steps toward shortstop when the A's took the field for the top of the fourth. But he was still limping noticeably and A's manager Mark Kotsay motioned him back into the dugout, where he slammed his glove into the bench in disgust.

Kotsay said Wilson would be re-evaluated before Saturday's game, at which point a decision on where to play Friday's standout, Max Schuemann, will be made.

Schuemann moved from shortstop to third base to make room for Wilson but went back to his normal position after the injury. All the while, he collected a homer, double and single, driving in four and scoring three, on a night reserved for his replacement.

"The kid can hit," Schuemann said of Wilson. "No surprise there that he steps up in his first at-bat and of course gets a hit. The kid's a special player. Hopefully he's OK."

If Wilson is able to play Saturday, he likely will go head-to-head with another guy in just his second big-league game, Angels right-hander Jack Kochanowicz (0-1, 12.00 ERA).

The 23-year-old didn't have the dream start Wilson experienced, getting bombed by the Seattle Mariners last Thursday to the tune of five runs (four earned) and seven hits in three innings.

The third-round pick in 2019, promoted straight from Double-A, promises he will be more focused on the first inning his second time around. He served up a double to Seattle's J.P. Crawford on his fourth big-league pitch last week, igniting a four-run, five-hit first that mushroomed into an 11-0 drubbing.

"The lights, the stadium ... obviously you notice, but once you settle in, it's not too big of a difference at all," he said of pitching in the majors. "It's just that first inning. ... Not exactly what I wanted. But just continuing to trust myself is the main thing."

Oakland righty Mitch Spence (5-6, 4.75) would love nothing better than for the A's to put up 18 or 13 runs, their totals from the last two games, in his start Saturday. The rookie lost his final two starts before the break, roughed up by the Baltimore Orioles and Philadelphia Phillies for 11 runs (10 earned) and 12 hits in 9 2/3 innings.

The 26-year-old's two previous starts had been against the Angels. He took the loss in a 7-5 defeat in Anaheim, Calif., on June 25, allowing six runs in 5 1/3 innings, before getting the win in a 7-5 home triumph seven days later. That time, he limited the visitors to one run in 5 1/3 innings. Those were Spence's only two starts against the Angels.

--Field Level Media