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The Athletics are well out of the playoff picture as the MLB trade deadline approaches. But with a recent injury landing a key piece on the IL, any glimmer of hope has been vanquished. Athletics shortstop Jacob Wilson is on the injured list with a right forearm fracture after getting hit by a pitch.
“Jacob Wilson, the Athletics rookie All-Star shortstop who was a rookie of the year candidate, goes on the injured list with a fractured right forearm,” Bob Nightengale of USA Today reported.
Wilson started the MLB All-Star Game at shortstop and had a .793 OPS at the time of his injury. He is a Rookie of the Year candidate in the American League, but his campaign just got stopped. The Athletics have another Rookie of the Year contender in Nick Kurtz, who may just steal the title from his teammate in the interim.
The hit by pitch ends a rough stretch for Wilson as the Athletics continue to struggle. He has a .140 batting average and .409 OPS in July after entering the month hitting .339 with a .853 OPS. Despite those numbers, he was still playing a strong shortstop and could have been Rookie of the Year.
The Athletics can have Max Muncy or Max Schuemann play shortstop while Wilson is out. They can play the position and are not trade candidates. Miguel Andujar, Gio Urshela, and Luis Arias should be on the move before the MLB trade deadline. Even without Wilson, they should be able to fill out their infield and sell off pieces at the trade deadline.
The Athletics lost the game on Monday to the Seattle Mariners, and finish out the three-game series on Wednesday. That gives them all day Thursday to make trades and set themselves up for a strong future. Wilson will undoubtedly be a part of the future in Sacramento and Vegas.
