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One of MLB’s top trade candidates ahead of the Aug. 3 deadline could be out for the rest of the season.
Athletics catcher Shea Langeliers, who is enjoying a career year behind the plate and in the batter’s box, suffered a torn meniscus that could force him to miss the rest of the season, according to ESPN.
The 28-year-old hurt his knee while running the basepaths, and now he and the team are considering whether he will need surgery to repair the tear in the knee.
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Shea Langeliers of the Athletics is seen in the dugout after hitting a solo home run in the eighth inning during a game against the Arizona Diamondbacks at Chase Field on Tuesday, July 21, 2026, in Phoenix, Ariz. (MLB Photos)
If surgery is the decision, ESPN reports it would be the end of the Langeliers’ 2026 campaign.
But either way, teams that were interested in potentially trading the All-Star catcher are very likely out of the running now. Langeliers is considered one of the best at his position in MLB, which is why the A’s had no plans to move him despite a 44-60 record on the year that puts them on the outside looking in to the playoffs.
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Langeliers has been the team’s top player and represented them at his first-ever All-Star Game earlier this month. And he’s doing that while others like Nick Kurtz, Brent Rooker and Jacob Wilson are dealing with injuries themselves.
Langeliers is slashing .263/.332/.497 this season with an .829 OPS, 23 home runs and 51 RBI. These are the numbers the A’s were hoping Langeliers would post this season after a successful 2025 campaign that included 31 homers and a career-high .861 OPS.
Shea Langeliers of the Athletics strikes out during the third inning against the Arizona Diamondbacks at Chase Field on July 21, 2026 in Phoenix, Arizona. The Diamondbacks defeated the Athletics 6-5. (Getty Images)
He was on his way to breaking a few more career highs, but this injury put a damper on it all.
And those postseason contenders are just as upset if they were hoping the A’s would change their stance on moving the Langeliers before the deadline. The New York Yankees, for one, are a team expected to be in that catch market before the deadline, and calling the A’s about Langeliers likely would have occurred.
Now, catchers like the Colorado Rockies’ Hunter Goodman and the Baltimore Orioles’ Adley Rutschman could see an increase in interest among teams hoping to bolster that position for a playoff push.
Shea Langelier’s #23 of the Athletics gets ready in the batter’s box against the Arizona Diamondbacks at Chase Field in Phoenix, Arizona on July 20, 2026. (Getty Images)
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The A’s will have to go with Jonah Heim at forward with Langeliers sidelined, and he has also been in trade talks himself because of his veteran skill. However, he jumps to a starting role and may not be as available.
