Shea

Langeliers

Langeliers had a strong season, hitting .277/.325/.536 with 31 home runs, 72 RBI, and seven steals in 123 games. He’ll be a fixture in the middle of the A’s lineup again in 2026.

Langeliers came up huge with a double off Luinder Avila to score the winning run and give the A’s the victory. The backstop has had a solid season in 2025 with an .854 OPS, while the RBI gives him 71 in 122 games. Langeliers won’t help in the average and steals category, but that power is going nowhere.

Salvador Perez is already there, but Langeliers could become just the 12th catcher in major league history with 30 doubles and 30 homers. Perez has done it for the first time this year, collecting 34 homers and 30 doubles. Before that, the last to do it was Mike Lieberthal in 1999 (33 2B, 31 HR). Mike Piazza did it twice in 1997 and ’98, while Johnny Bench did it three times in the 1970s.

Langeliers had started eight straight games and 12 of the last 13, so this is a routine day off. Willie MacIver will catch and bat ninth on Thursday.

Langeliers snapped Aroldis Chapman’s 50-batter hitless streak with a gap shot to start the ninth and then scored on Lawrence Butler’s hit with one out. He also walked in the contest. The homer in the first was his 30th of the year, overtaking his career high of 29 from last year. He joins Terry Steinbach in 1996 as the only catchers to homer 30 times in a season for the A’s.

It’s odd for Langeliers to sit out two in a row, so something might be going on here. Willie MacIver is starting once again.

Langeliers hit his second career grand slam of his career and 29th of the season, and it came off Tarik Skubal to give the A’s a 6-2 lead. The 27-year-old has somewhat quietly been one of the better backstops in baseball this year, but he’s been particularly impressive in August with 11 homers and 22 RBI over 93 at-bats. Langeliers should remain a strong fantasy option behind the plate for the foreseeable future.

It’s a well-deserved break for Kurtz with the Tigers throwing lefty Tarik Skubal on Monday night. The 22-year-old burgeoning fantasy superstar has had a phenomenal second half, batting .390 (46-for-118) with nine home runs and 24 RBI in 32 games since the Midsummer Classic. It’s only his second off day since July 27. Shea Langeliers has been moved up to the leadoff spot with fellow rookie standout Jacob Wilson batting second.

Wilson finds himself in the lower half of Athletics manager Mark Kotsay’s lineup card for the third straight contest since returning from the injured list. The 23-year-old’s contact-oriented skillset is suited for a table-setting role, but the Athletics want to maximize the number of plate appearances rookie slugger Nick Kurtz and Shea Langeliers are getting ahead of Brent Rooker and Tyler Soderstrom, which bumps Wilson from the top of the order for now.

Langeliers also had a walk in the contest before knocking in the go-ahead run. He’s batting .310/.330/.738 with 10 homers and 18 RBI in 19 games this month.