Denzel Clarke Out Beyond All-Star Break with Hamstring Injury

The Oakland Athletics placed Denzel Clarke on the injured list this evening with a high-grade strain of his left hamstring sustained during a rehab game with Triple-A Las Vegas. The 26-year-old center fielder will miss at least until August and is not expected back before the All-Star Break. The A’s have no return timeline for Clarke until after the break following reevaluation.

Clarke suffered the injury while returning from a bone bruise in his right foot that had already sidelined him for a month. The severity of the hamstring strain is a major setback for the A’s and Clarke’s development. He was already sidelined for most of the 2025 second half with an adductor strain and has missed most of the past calendar year due to injuries.

Clarke has appeared in 69 MLB games and hit .214/.262/.323 over 219 plate appearances. He struck out 85 times and has yet to show consistent offensive production at the plate. Defensively, he has been one of the top outfielders in the league. Statcast credits him with 14 Outs Above Average in just over 500 innings in center field, including multiple highlight-reel plays and home run robberies.

With Clarke out, Zack Gelof initially took over center field before moving to third base. The A’s have turned to Henry Bolte and Lawrence Butler in center field. Butler is hitting .174/.273/.265 over 150 plate appearances since returning from a patellar tendon procedure. Bolte is batting .269 with one double in his first seven MLB games.

The A’s sit at 25-24 and trail only the Rangers and Mariners in the AL West. Manager Mark Kotsay will need more offensive production from the outfield. The team is unlikely to trade for a center fielder before the deadline but must see improvement from either Butler or Bolte.

Clarke will be moved to the 60-day injured list when the A’s need to open a 40-man roster spot. His return timeline remains uncertain beyond the All-Star Break.