Minor League Baseball Player Ryan Lasko Shares Emotional Update After Dramatically Breaking His Back

Athletics prospect Ryan Lasko is on the mend after a terrifying injury last month left him without feeling in his legs.

“I’m currently feeling much better,” Lasko wrote via his Instagram story on Monday, July 27. “I have sensation from my feet up to my knees, along with a lot of involuntary leg movements. I also have been getting some sensation in the side of my thighs, hamstrings and back. I currently have about 75 percent usage of my left hand and about 50 percent in my right.”

Lasko fractured his C6 and C7 vertebrae when he collided with a teammate while going for a catch during a game for his Double-A Midland Rockhounds. The outfielder laid motionless on the field for several minutes before he was stretchered off and transported to a local hospital.

He later underwent spinal decompression and stabilization surgery with the hope that as the swelling decreased, he would begin to regain feeling in his legs. It is still unclear if and when the athlete will be able to return to baseball.

“I’m very happy with my progress and once again, so very thankful for all the love and support,” he added. “It has continued to help me get up everyday and work my hardest.”

Lasko is ranked as the A’s’ No. 18 prospect, per MLB.com, after the franchise took him in the second round of the 2023 MLB Draft out of Rutgers University.

“I’ve been in touch with Ryan’s mom, Patti, to pass along the organization’s support and to let her know that all of us, throughout our system, have them in our thoughts and prayers,” A’s general manager David Forst said in a statement after the injury. “We are incredibly grateful to Noah Huff and Audy Merrick, our athletic trainers in Midland, for their on-field actions last night, as well as to the Frisco RoughRiders and the paramedics on the scene. We are encouraged by the reports and updates from Dr. Jonathan Poggi, and we will continue to put all of the resources of our medical staff towards supporting Ryan and his recovery.”

A’s manager Mark Kotsay got to know Lasko in Spring Training, where the young outfielder made a positive impression.

“He’s a competitor,” Kotsay, 50, said at the time of Lasko’s injury. “He’s emotional. Both of those things, I can vividly recall just being around him. And then just his passion for baseball. … The biggest thing we can all do is hope and pray that he recovers the feeling in his lower half and always be there to support him.”