TAMPA, Fla. (AP) — Shea Langeliers provided a big lift for the Athletics in his return from an injury.

Langeliers hit a three-run homer on Monday night, sending the A’s to a 6-4 victory over the Tampa Bay Rays in the catcher’s first big league game since he was sidelined by a strained left oblique.

Langeliers was reinstated from the 10-day injured list. He got hurt when he fouled off a pitch from Minnesota’s Kody Funderburk on June 5.

He connected with two outs in the first inning in the opener of a three-game series at the Rays, driving a 96 mph sinker from Drew Rasmussen deep to left-center.

Langeliers’ 11th homer of the season had an exit velocity of 111.1 mph and traveled 408 feet.

The A’s also brought up right-hander Justin Sterner and outfielder Colby Thomas from Triple-A Las Vegas. Outfielder JJ Bleday, catcher Willie MacIver and right-hander Tyler Ferguson were sent down.

Thomas, a third-round pick in the 2022 amateur draft, made his major league debut when he popped out as a pinch hitter in the eighth. He stayed in the game in left field and made a huge defensive play in the bottom half.

The game was tied at 4 when Thomas cut down Brandon Lowe at the plate when he attempted to score from second on Josh Lowe’s single.

The 27-year-old Langeliers went 8 for 13 with a homer and four RBIs in three rehab games with Las Vegas before returning to the A’s.

Langeliers was a first-round pick in the 2019 amateur draft. He is batting .237 with 30 RBIs in 57 games this year.

AP MLB: https://apnews.com/hub/MLB

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