The Athletics second baseman was having the kind of season that makes you forget about the team’s record. Zack Gelof entered Tuesday night’s series opener against the Giants on a 24-game hit streak, the longest active run in the American League. Then Matt Chapman stepped on his hand.
It happened in the second inning at Oracle Park. Chapman, the Giants third baseman and a former A’s teammate of Gelof’s, came down on Gelof’s hand during a play at the bag. Gelof went down immediately, grabbed his hand, and left the game. Jeff McNeil came in to replace him.
The streak ends at 24 games because Gelof went 0-for-1 before the injury. He flew out in his first at-bat leading off the game. That one at-bat officially snapped the streak, which is a brutal way for it to die but that’s how the record books work.
Gelof’s breakout year
Before Tuesday, Gelof was hitting .284 with 11 home runs and 29 RBIs through 61 games. He also had eight steals. The real story of his season though is the strikeout improvement. After whiffing at a 45.5 percent rate in 2025, he’d dropped that number below 25 percent this year. That’s a massive jump for a guy who looked like he might be a swing-and-miss liability long-term.
His OPS sat at .838 coming into the game. For context, that’s well above league average for second basemen and would be a career-best mark if he keeps it up.
Right now though, nobody’s thinking about stats. The concern is whether the injury is serious enough to send him to the injured list. The A’s haven’t said much yet. They’re probably waiting to see how the swelling looks overnight.
Who fills in if Gelof misses time
McNeil is the obvious candidate to take over at second base. He’s a veteran, he’s played the position plenty, and he’s already on the roster. Max Muncy (the A’s version, not the Dodgers guy) could also get a look. And Darell Hernaiz just got sent down to the minors, so he’s not an immediate option unless they call him back up.
The A’s dropped two straight to the Angels before this game, so they’re trying to avoid a three-game skid. Losing Gelof for any stretch would make that harder. He’s been their best hitter by a decent margin.
Fans online noted the irony of Chapman being the one to end the streak. Chapman spent four years in Oakland before signing with San Francisco. Baseball gives you weird moments like that sometimes.
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