Geovany Soto Injury: Updates on Athletics Catcher's Thumb and Return

If the Oakland Athletics are able to beat the Kansas City Royals and advance to the American League Division Series, they may have to proceed without catcher Geovany Soto.

The 31-year-old veteran, who was acquired by the A's in August, was forced from Tuesday night's Wild Card Game with a thumb injury, per Fox Sports' MLB Twitter feed:

Soto entered the night with a rock-solid .357 on-base percentage in 49 plate appearances with Oakland, but as ESPN Stats & Info noted, his worth goes beyond the batter's box:

Hardball Talk's Matthew Pouliot also noted Soto's importance with John Jaso sidelined via concussion:

Derek Norris is hitting .270/.361/.403 on the season. He has crushed lefties (.863) but hasn't been nearly as effective against right-handers (.699 OPS). If Soto is out for an extended period (and Oakland advances), though, Norris will have to step in behind the plate extensively.