Feb 23, 2023; Mesa, AZ, USA; Oakland Athletics infielder Zack Gelof (46) (left) and catcher Tyler Soderstrom (57) (right) pose for a portrait during spring training photo day at HoHoKam Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Allan Henry-USA TODAY Sports
MLB: Spring Training-Oakland Athletics Photo Day
(Oakland, LA) — The Oakland Athletics season has been historically awful, but encouraging news is on the horizon.
The A’s are calling up two of their top three prospects to start the season’s second half, according to MLB.com. That would be a promotion of both catcher/first baseman Tyler Soderstrom and second baseman Zack Gelof.
Soderstrom, the club’s #1 prospect, appeared in the MLB All-Star Futures Game last weekend and will be making his major-league debut during Friday’s second-half opener against the Minnesota Twins.
The 21-year-old backstop, who was a first-round selection in the 2020 MLB Draft, has slashed an underwhelming .254/.303/.536 with 20 home runs across over 69 games this season for Triple-A Las Vegas, which is known to be an extremely hitter-friendly environment.
As for Gelof, he’s compiled a .304/.401/.529 batting line with 12 home runs and 20 stolen bases at Vegas.
The 23-year-old has played second base exclusively this season and should take over as an everyday player for the bottomless A’s.
His brother, Jake, was just selected by the Los Angeles Dodgers in the second round of the 2023 draft.
The A’s are the worst team in baseball at 25-67, so there’s certainly no harm in trying to see what the kids have.
