A's top prospect Leo De Vries to undergo shoulder surgery, likely to open 2026 on IL

Leo De Vries, the Athletics' top-ranked prospect and one of the highest-rated prospects in baseball, will undergo anterior labrum repair on his right shoulder, per Bill Moriarity of A's Farm as reported by Anthony Franco at MLB Trade Rumors. The procedure carries a recovery timeline of approximately eight months, per the report, making it likely that De Vries would open next season on the injured list.

What happened

Per the MLB Trade Rumors report, De Vries is expected to have the anterior labrum repair performed on his right shoulder. The roughly eight-month recovery window, per the report, would push his return well into the 2026 season — and likely past Opening Day.

De Vries, a 19-year-old switch-hitting shortstop and third baseman, spent the entire 2026 season at Double-A Midland. The procedure is not described as completed in the report; the language is forward-looking, meaning the surgery is expected to take place rather than already having occurred.

Why it matters

The timing stings in a particular way. Per the MLB Trade Rumors report, De Vries had been on a trajectory that could have seen him finish the year at Triple-A and enter Spring Training with a legitimate shot at breaking camp with the major league club. That path, per the report, is no longer available.

He was not going to factor into the Athletics' major league roster this season regardless — the club was not going to rush a 19-year-old through the system in mid-September. But the difference between "healthy and ascending" and "recovering from labrum surgery" is a meaningful one for a franchise counting on its prospect pipeline to carry it forward.

There is also a roster mechanics note worth understanding: per the MLB Trade Rumors report, De Vries does not need to be added to the 40-man roster this offseason to protect him from the Rule 5 draft. That means the Athletics would not need to occupy a 40-man spot with a player who will be rehabbing, nor would he be made ineligible for minor league play in the event of an in-season work stoppage. The injury is painful; at least the administrative picture is relatively clean.

The report also notes that the Athletics were already expected to be active in the market for help at second or third base this winter — and that this development makes that search a more pressing priority. Among the names MLB Trade Rumors identifies as potential targets: utility types Mauricio Dubón, Luis Rengifo, and Edmundo Sosa are expected to reach free agency, as are reclamation candidates Alec Bohm, Ha-Seong Kim, and Jonathan India, the latter group likely seeking one-year deals per the report.

The numbers

De Vries posted a .290/.378/.458 slash line at Double-A Midland this season, adding 13 home runs. The MLB Trade Rumors report notes he did this while being nearly five years younger than the average player at the level — a gap that makes the production considerably more notable than the raw numbers suggest on their own.

Baseball America currently ranks De Vries the third-best prospect in baseball, behind Milwaukee's Jesús Made and Boston's Franklin Arias. MLB Pipeline slots him second, behind Made. ESPN's Kiley McDaniel had him fourth last month, behind Made, Arias, and Seattle's Kade Anderson. Per the report, De Vries is expected to remain the Athletics' top prospect, though he could slip a few spots on the overall industry lists this offseason as evaluators hedge against the injury.

It is also worth noting, per the MLB Trade Rumors report, that De Vries headlined the Athletics' return from San Diego in the trade involving four and a half seasons of Mason Miller — which is to say the organization has a particular attachment to what he represents, beyond the prospect rankings alone.

Where the club stands

The Athletics sit at 58-87 (.400), fourth in the AL West and 16 games back of the division lead. They are 11th in the Wild Card standings, 15.5 games relative to the cut line, and enter Wednesday on a one-game winning streak.

The 58-87 record tells most of the story, but the MLB Trade Rumors report adds important texture: the Athletics' major league season was, in the report's framing, absolutely decimated by injuries. Nick Kurtz, Shea Langeliers, Jacob Wilson, Brent Rooker, and Tyler Soderstrom all missed significant time. Per the report, all but Langeliers are shut down for the remainder of the season, and Wilson, Rooker, and Soderstrom required surgeries.

A week removed from the club publicly stating its September goal as playing spoiler against postseason contenders, the Athletics are at least still playing meaningful baseball in that narrow sense. Jeffrey Springs threw seven scoreless innings against Seattle earlier this week — his first win since April, per Posterior Wire's earlier coverage — and the club hosts Toronto on Wednesday with Brady Basso as the probable starter before welcoming Seattle back to Sutter Health Park on Friday and Saturday, with Springs and Gage Jump lined up.

Shea Langeliers, per Posterior Wire's coverage from earlier this week, is now expected to return and play for the Athletics in 2026 after his meniscus injury — one of the few pieces of relatively encouraging health news the organization has received this season.

The De Vries news lands in that context: a franchise that has watched its major league roster get picked apart by injuries all year now absorbs a significant blow to the prospect depth it was counting on to accelerate the rebuild.

What we don't know yet

The MLB Trade Rumors report does not specify when the surgery is scheduled to take place, only that De Vries will undergo the procedure. The exact return timeline will depend on how the surgery goes and how rehabilitation progresses — the eight-month window is a general framework for this type of procedure, not a date the report pins down.

It also remains to be seen exactly where De Vries lands on the major prospect rankings once the offseason lists are published. The report suggests he could slip a few spots as a hedge against the injury, but his standing as the Athletics' top prospect is not expected to change, per the report.

The club's plans at second and third base this winter are similarly unresolved. The report identifies several names who could be in play, but no transactions have been reported, and the offseason market has not yet opened.

What to watch

The prospect rankings cycle will be worth monitoring as Baseball America, MLB Pipeline, and ESPN's Kiley McDaniel publish their offseason lists. De Vries entered this process as a consensus top-three talent; where he lands after the injury news will reflect how the industry weighs the recovery risk against what he showed at Double-A Midland this season.

On the major league side, the Athletics' infield market this winter becomes a more urgent storyline. The MLB Trade Rumors report names Dubón, Rengifo, Sosa, Bohm, Kim, and India as names to watch — a mix of utility depth and reclamation options that could help bridge the gap while De Vries works his way back. How aggressively the club moves in that market, and whether any of those names end up in Sacramento, will be among the more consequential offseason questions for a franchise still building toward something.

For now, the Athletics play out the string at 58-87, spoiler ambitions intact, with one more significant injury added to a season that has tested the organization's depth at every level.