The Athletics may still be 15 games under .500, but the pieces are starting to fit together in a way that makes a late-season push look a lot more real.
That turnaround has been fueled by a wave of young talent that has arrived this season and changed the feel of the roster. Joshua Kuroda-Grauer, Gage Jump, and, most recently, Tommy White have all been called up, and that trio has helped shift the Athletics’ trajectory. After a complete performance against the Twins, the club suddenly has a path that points beyond just playing out the schedule.
The position players have been the loudest part of that surge. Kuroda-Grauer has hit .417 in 16 games since his call-up, while White has batted .348 in six games. Those numbers have given the lineup a different kind of stability, and when the bats are steady, the Athletics look capable of doing damage.
There’s also room for the offense to get even better once more players come back from injury. Nick Kurtz alone has left a lot of wins on the table, and pairing him with White and JKG would give the Athletics a group that looks much more dangerous. If that core keeps producing, the lineup starts to feel like a well-oiled machine.
Pitching remains the other major piece of the puzzle, and it has been a mixed bag for much of the season. But since the All-Star break, both the rotation and the bullpen have shown more momentum. In the win, Jacob Lopez threw 5.0 innings and allowed just one hit, and the bullpen followed that up by giving up only a single hit the rest of the way.
The relief group is beginning to settle into something resembling defined roles, too. Hogan Harris has looked like the Athletics’ closer, Jose Suarez has fit as a middle-inning option, and Elvis Alvarado and Luis Medina have also been effective. That kind of structure has been missing for much of the year, but it’s starting to show up now.
J.T. Ginn’s recent move to the IL means he’ll miss about two starts, which is far from ideal, but not a major setback.
If Ginn can pitch at an All-Star level to close out the season, the Athletics should keep stacking wins. With plenty of season left and a healthier roster on the way, this group has a chance to make some noise.
In Other News...
Jacob Lopez Gives Athletics Hope In Shutout Win Over Twins
Jacob Lopez kept giving the Athletics a reason to believe, working five scoreless innings in a 2-0 win over the Twins at Target Field. He allowed just one hit while navigating four walks and striking out four, and the As backed him with enough offense in the middle innings to make the early pitching effort count. Tommy White, Lawrence Butler, Donovan Walton, Tyler Soderstrom and Henry Bolte all had a hand in the scoring, helping Oakland turn a tight game into one it could actually finish.
The Twins tried to push back, but the As kept finding the right pitch, the right play and the right defensive answer when the game started to tighten. Oakland scored in the fifth and sixth, then leaned on a mix of pitching changes and timely defense to keep Minnesota off the board, a formula that has been hard to come by at times this season. For a club still looking for signs that its young pieces can hold up in a close game, this was the kind of shutout win that at least offers a little hope. [Read more 🡒]
A's Big International Bet Is Starting To Feel Very Real
Breyson Guedez already looked like one of the Athletics most intriguing international bets when he signed for a $1.5 million bonus during the 2025 period, but the early returns in his stateside debut have only sharpened the interest. The Venezuelan outfielder has settled in with Single-A Stockton and, after a slow start, has begun to show the kind of bat-to-ball ability and impact contact that can make a young prospect stand out quickly in the California League.
Guedezs production since June has put him on the organizations radar in a much bigger way, especially for a club that is trying to build around upside wherever it can find it. The As have seen enough to believe there is real ceiling here, and his rapid rise through the summer has made the next step in his development feel a lot less theoretical than it did a few months ago. [Read more 🡒]
Athletics Just Turned To A Former Ace For Rotation Help
With injuries thinning out the rotation, the Athletics have taken a low-risk look at a familiar name in Dallas Keuchel, who is trying to work his way back into the majors on a minor league contract. For a club that has been scrambling to patch together innings, the move fits the moment: Oakland needs depth, and Keuchel brings the kind of veteran track record that can at least make him worth a closer look.
The timing matters because the As have been hit by setbacks with J.T. Ginn and Luis Severino, leaving the staff even more vulnerable as it tries to stabilize. Keuchels last MLB action came with the Brewers in 2024, and his recent results have trended the wrong way, so this is very much a comeback bid rather than a sure thing. Still, for a team searching for any reliable rotation help it can find, the door is open. [Read more 🡒]