The Athletics may be stuck at 50-80 with 32 games left, but the late-season scoreboard isn’t the only thing worth monitoring. Their playoff path is all but gone, which makes the final stretch less about the present and more about the players who could shape 2027.
One of the clearest names to watch is Alika Williams. With no Jacob Wilson or Joshua Kuroda-Grauer for potentially the rest of the season, the Athletics need Williams to help cover that production.
His numbers this year don’t leap off the page - 142 at-bats, a .261 average, a .685 OPS, 10 RBIs and two home runs - but they do show real progress from 2024, when he hit .207 with a .541 OPS in 87 at-bats. If that trend keeps climbing, Williams could settle in as a utility piece on the active roster.
There’s also the possibility that he raises his value enough to become part of a larger trade. Either way, he looks like a player who could matter to the organization’s next step.
The bullpen picture has also started to sharpen around Elvis Alvarado. Since the Athletics traded Mason Miller last season, the late innings have been a revolving door, with Hogan Harris, Luis Medina, Mason Barnett and Alvarado all getting looks to help fill the gap.
Lately, Alvarado has separated himself as the best long-term answer. His fastball is close to Miller’s in velocity - Miller at 101.5 MPH and Alvarado at 98.6 MPH - and his slider is beginning to take shape in a way that could eventually mirror Miller’s success with the pitch.
He has also allowed just two runs over his last 13.0 innings, which is a strong sign the Athletics may already be seeing what he can become. The organization seems to view him as a key bullpen arm for 2027.
Then there’s Lawrence Butler, who entered 2026 with a lot riding on him after a 21-home-run, 22-stolen-base season in 2025. The expectation level was high, and his early season didn’t immediately match the burst he brought a year ago.
The source notes he may have been rushed back from injury this spring, and it took him a while to get back to form. Since the break, though, Butler has looked like himself again.
That matters because the bigger picture for the Athletics’ offense is starting to come into focus. A healthy 2027 lineup could include Nick Kurtz, Shea Langeliers, Tyler Soderstrom, Brent Rooker and Joshua Kuroda-Grauer back in the mix.
Add Butler playing at a high level, and the offense suddenly looks powerful enough to push toward a playoff race. For Butler, who is the only member of the “New Age Athletics” still in the lineup, the next year could be his chance to step out from the shadow of those other names.
In Other News...
Jacob Lopez Gave The As Something They Desperately Needed
Jacob Lopez gave Oakland exactly the kind of start it had been searching for, working six innings and piling up nine strikeouts while keeping the Astros quiet enough for the As to stay within striking distance. The outing helped steady a club that had been slipping, and it came with enough swing-and-miss to suggest there was real life behind the result, not just a good day at the office.
The offense finished the job late, with Donovan Walton and Jonah Heim helping spark a three-run eighth inning that flipped a 3-1 deficit and pushed the As to a 4-3 win. It snapped a five-game losing streak and, more importantly, gave Oakland a reminder that it can still win a tight game when the pitching holds and the lineup finds one decisive burst. [Read more 🡒]
A's Finally Have A Reason For Real Optimism Right Now
For much of the summer, the Athletics have been hunting for signs that a young core and a few emerging arms might finally give the rebuild some traction. Lawrence Butler has supplied one of the most encouraging ones since the break, turning a rough first half into a far more dangerous second act at the plate, while Jacob Lopez has quietly become the most reliable starter in the rotation and Elvis Alvarado has helped steady the back end of the bullpen.
What makes that trio matter is how different the paths have been. Butlers power has started to play again, Lopez has been missing bats at a rate that gives Oakland a chance every time he takes the mound, and Alvarado has given the As another late-inning arm they can trust. The question now is whether those gains are the start of something more lasting, or just the latest brief run of promise in a season that has asked for patience all along. [Read more 🡒]
As Prospect Report Has One Pitching Bright Spot And One Growing Concern
The As farm system got a clean pitching line in Lansing on a night when weather cut the game short, and Jorge Marcheco was the reason. The left-hander worked 5 2/3 scoreless innings to lead Lansing to a shutout win over Peoria, giving Oaklands minor league depth at least one encouraging box score to point to while the rest of the affiliates continued through a busy slate.
Elsewhere, the results were less tidy, with Las Vegas falling to Albuquerque, Midland losing to Corpus Christi and Stockton dropping its game against Fresno. Those lines matter because the organization is still sorting through who is trending up and who needs to steady things, and the contrast between Marchecos outing and some of the other pitching performances is starting to feel like the sort of weekly split that can shape how the As evaluate the next wave. [Read more 🡒]