Zack Gelof should be good to go for the Athletics ahead of the 2026 MLB season after the second baseman underwent successful surgery to address the dislocated left shoulder he suffered when diving for a ground ball in the Athletics’ win at the Pittsburgh Pirates on Sept. 19.

Stanford Medicine’s Marc R. Safran, M.D., explained what Gelof’s recovery should look like in an exclusive interview with NBC Sports California’s Tristi Rodriguez on Thursday.

“Usually in a sling for about four to six weeks, just letting things kind of heal up — just doing some mild range-of-motion exercises,” Safran told Rodriguez. “Then, after six weeks, you start to work on increasing the range of motion. Usually around three months, you start to strengthen the shoulder. 

“Usually by four months, they can do most things; with him, it’s his non-throwing shoulder, so [throwing] wouldn’t be a problem. But also probably wouldn’t have him do any diving yet, til about six months after the surgery.”

Gelof appears to be on the right road to recovery.

Keep in mind, this is the second major injury he suffered in 2025, as he underwent surgery to repair a hook of the hamate fracture in his right hand during spring training and didn’t play with the Green and Gold until July 4.

Fortunately for Gelof, given the current situation, he won’t have to miss any games, as the Athletics missed the MLB playoffs and have a long offseason ahead of them.

“It’s just really about trying to protect the shoulder while the soft tissues are healing, and then gradually increasing the strengthening, and then increasing the load to that area as it continues to get stronger and stronger,” Safran said.

“He’s not going to be catching any balls until probably a few months after the surgery, and he probably also will not do any batting. And when he does, he’ll probably start off batting a little bit of fungo and those types of things before he tries to take a full swing.”

Gelof hit .174 with two home runs and seven RBI over 30 games this year. Perhaps an offseason of recovery will help him return to the electric up-and-comer he was in 2024.