TAMPA, Fla. (AP) \u2014 Shea Langeliers provided a big lift for the Athletics in his return from an injury.<\/p>\n
Langeliers hit a three-run homer on Monday night, sending the A’s to\u00a0a 6-4 victory<\/a>\u00a0over the Tampa Bay Rays in the catcher’s first big league game since he was sidelined by a strained left oblique.<\/p>\n Langeliers was reinstated from the 10-day injured list. He got hurt when he fouled off a pitch from Minnesota\u2019s Kody Funderburk on June 5.<\/p>\n 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.<\/p>\n Langeliers’\u00a011th homer of the season<\/a>\u00a0had an exit velocity of 111.1 mph and traveled 408 feet.<\/p>\n \u201cIt got us out of the gate and you could see the life of the dugout wanting to just celebrate him coming back,\u201d A\u2019s manager Mark Kotsay said.<\/p>\n The A’s also brought up right-hander Justin Sterner and outfielder Colby Thomas from Triple-A Las Vegas. Outfielder JJ Bleday, catcher\u00a0Willie MacIver<\/a>\u00a0and right-hander Tyler Ferguson were sent down.<\/p>\n 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.<\/p>\n