FRISCO, Texas — Athletics outfield prospect Ryan Lasko underwent spinal surgery Tuesday night after a collision with a teammate left him motionless on the field. The 24-year-old posted on social media Thursday that he faces a “lengthy” recovery but intends to return to baseball.
Lasko broke a vertebra in his neck during a Double-A Midland game against Frisco when he and teammate Devin Taylor both dove for a flyball. Lasko remained on the ground after the play and was taken to Texas Health Presbyterian Hospital Plano, where surgeons performed a spinal decompression and stabilization procedure to address a fractured C6-C7 vertebra. The A’s said he was in stable condition Wednesday.
“I’d like to thank everyone for the well wishes & prayers,” Lasko wrote. “I truly feel so loved and appreciated by everyone that has reached out. I am doing well and on the road to recovery. This is going to be a lengthy process but I hope to be able to get back to doing what I love.”
A’s player development director Ed Sprague traveled to Frisco, and counseling was offered to players. Lasko, a second-round pick in the 2023 draft from Rutgers, was batting .209 with six homers, 34 RBIs and a .635 OPS for Midland this season. He appeared in 13 games at Triple-A Las Vegas last year and hit .357 with nine stolen bases in the Arizona Fall League.
