The Athletics’ season has taken another hit, and this one lands hard. Tyler Soderstrom’s year is over, with Martin Gallegos of MLB.com reporting that the slugger will have season-ending hip surgery on Friday.
That’s a brutal finish for one of the brighter spots on the roster. Soderstrom had already put together a solid 2025 campaign before the injury, then backed it up again this year with an .810 OPS and 19 home runs in 109 games. The A’s clearly see him as part of their long-term core, especially after he signed a seven-year, $86 million extension before the 2026 MLB season.
His absence leaves a hole, but the bigger picture for Oakland is still centered on what comes next. The Athletics are trying to build toward contention by the time they move to Las Vegas in 2028, and even with a disappointing 2026 season, the roster still has some real young talent to work with.
Soderstrom sits alongside names like Nick Kurtz and Jacob Wilson in that group, the kind of players the A’s are counting on to carry the next wave. The injury obviously slows that plan down for now, but the expectation is that he’ll be back next season and able to make a major impact.
For the moment, the 49-76 Athletics are just trying to get through the final stretch. They’re tied with the Los Angeles Angels for the worst record in the sport, and their next chance to break out of that skid comes Tuesday night at 7:40 PM ET in Kansas City against the Royals.
In Other News...
As Late Collapse In Kansas City Raises A Familiar Bullpen Fear
The Athletics had the kind of game that should have traveled well, with Jack Perkins and Brady Basso turning in strong work on the mound and the offense handing over a three-run cushion by the sixth inning in Kansas City. For most of the night, it looked like Oakland had done the hard part, controlling the pace and building a lead that should have been enough to finish the job.
Then the ninth inning arrived and flipped everything. The Royals put together a rally for three runs and walked off with the win, the sort of late collapse that can quickly sour a solid team effort and send the focus right back to the bullpen. For Oakland, the loss was less about what went right early than the uneasy reminder of how fragile a late lead can feel once the last inning turns messy. [Read more 🡒]
A's Farm System Faces A New Concern After Midland Shuffle
Jamie Arnold gave Midland exactly what it needed, carving through Corpus Christi with six scoreless innings and nine strikeouts in a one-run RockHounds win. The outing stood out in a day that also brought the usual churn of a busy farm system, with box scores, stat lines and small but meaningful roster movement continuing to shape the As developmental picture.
The bigger concern for Oaklands player pipeline came away from the scoreboard. Leo De Vries was moved to the 7-day injured list with a shoulder ailment, and the ripple effects were felt in the organizations alignment as the RockHounds adjusted around a reshaped infield and new faces moved into Midland while another was sent on to Triple-A Las Vegas. [Read more 🡒]
Athletics Bullpen Problem Is Spoiling What Finally Looks Like Progress
The Athletics had every reason to feel good about the way this one started. Brady Basso and Jack Perkins handled the early work effectively, the offense gave them a 3-1 cushion, and for much of the night it looked like another sign that the club is finally stringing together some real progress on both sides of the ball. Recent help from Jeff McNeil, Henry Bolte, Tommy White and Lawrence Butler has given the lineup a steadier feel, which made the late innings feel like a chance to close out a game the As had mostly controlled.
Instead, the familiar pressure point showed up again when the bullpen had to finish the job. The edge slipped away in the bottom of the ninth, and Bobby Witt Jr. ended it with a walk-off hit that turned a promising win into another painful loss. For the Athletics, the bigger concern is not just one blown lead, but whether the pitching plan can survive the grind when the game gets deep and the relievers look spent by the finish. [Read more 🡒]