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First mile · May 7, 2026

Keep Your Hand Raised

A designated hitter who moved through four organizations in seven seasons reached 500 major-league hits on May 7.

500 career hits · ATH

Five Hundred

On May 7, 2026, Brent Rooker collected his 500th major-league hit. Seven seasons, four organizations, 573 games — a .254 average, 119 home runs, 103 doubles. He debuted in September 2020 with Minnesota, spent two years there, passed through San Diego and Kansas City in 2022, and has been with the Athletics since 2023.

Germantown

Born in Germantown, Tennessee, Rooker attended Evangelical Christian School in Memphis. His father Terry caught four seasons at the University of Memphis; his mother Lynne played college tennis at Baylor and Memphis. He and his wife Allie, an emergency room nurse, have two daughters. At Mississippi State he redshirted a year, then won the 2017 SEC triple crown — only the second player in conference history to do so — and national Player of the Year honors. The Twins drafted him twice: 38th round in 2016, 35th overall in 2017. Former teammate Mitch Garver called him potentially the greatest Triple-A hitter ever and said the Twins roster knew he was their best hitter even as the early big-league results lagged.

The Hand Raised

Near the end of 2023 spring training, Rooker asked the Athletics' traveling secretary what to do with his car. He had been summoned to the manager's office expecting to be optioned, as in prior years. Instead, he learned he had made the Opening Day roster. Rooker was emotional at the news. Also in 2023, manager Mark Kotsay held a team meeting before announcing the All-Star selection — asking players to raise hands for Little League All-Star teams, then minor-league ones, then turning to Rooker and telling him to keep his hand raised. Rooker said he had never allowed himself to think making an All-Star team was possible.

Kotsay has pointed to Rooker's perseverance and grit in establishing himself across multiple organizations. A Silver Slugger followed in 2024, a second All-Star team in 2025. Rooker is 31, the Athletics' designated hitter.

Reporting: ESPN, MLB.com, Pioneer Press, Wikipedia. Career and biographical data: MLB StatsAPI, via the Fever engine.