Gunnar

Hoglund

The rookie right-hander also issued three walks on the afternoon while striking out a pair. The Phillies scratched out a run in the second inning as J.T. Realmuto bounced into a double play with the bases loaded. Trea Turner then delivered an RBI single in the third inning and plated another with a sacrifice fly in the fifth. Hoglund got just four whiffs in 92 pitches on the afternoon, posting an underwhelming CSW of only 21 percent. He’ll look to bounce back as he carries a 5.13 ERA, 1.41 WHIP and a 22/9 K/BB ratio (26 1/3 innings) into Saturday’s showdown against the Blue Jays in Toronto.

The Athletics promoted Jacob Lopez from Triple-A Las Vegas on Friday and he’ll get the call to start against the Phillies on Friday night. That means that Gunnar Hoglund will be moved back from Saturday to Sunday as well.

Hoglund got through three scoreless innings before Logan O’Hoppe took him deep for a solo homer in the fourth. He ran into more trouble in the fifth as Yoán Moncada went yard for a three-run homer. Hoglund would leave with two outs and a runner on. The inherited runner would eventually score. The 25-year-old right-hander will look to put this one behind him when he takes a 5.06 ERA, 1.41 WHIP and a 20/6 K/BB ratio across 21 1/3 innings into a start against the Phillies in Sacramento on Sunday.

Hoglund gave up seven hits, but the biggest issue is that three of those hits went over the fence, including a leadoff homer by Shohei Ohtani. He walked three, and the 25-year-old rookie just didn’t have anywhere close to his best command against a team you need to have it. He’ll get an easier matchup next week with a scheduled bout against the Angels on Monday.

The second run came in the sixth after Hoglund was pulled following his first walk of the game. Mitch Spence later gave up a three-run homer. Hoglund settled for three strikeouts, but he had 13 whiffs and a solid 28 percent CSW. Only five of the 18 balls in play against him were hard hit. One imagines he’ll stick around and face the Dodgers next week, but since the A’s have tomorrow and Monday off, it’s hard to say exactly how their rotation will shake out.

This was a very impressive MLB debut for Hoglund. His fastball had tremendous life, regularly pushing over 20 inches of induced vertical break, and forced six swings-and-misses. He commanded his sinker, changeup, and slider well too and they all coalesced to a fairly stress-free outing. There were barely any troubling moments and things looked remarkably easy overall. All results that come against the Marlins should be taken with a grain of salt, but a start like this from Hoglund should make him an enticing option off the waiver wire. It’s likely he remains in this rotation and if that comes to fruition, his next scheduled start would come against the Mariners.

Hoglund will make his MLB debut when he faces the Marlins tonight. The 25-year-old has become quite a bit more interesting after adding two mph to his fastball and changeup over the winter, so keep an eye on him here.

It’ll be the big league debut for the 25-year-old former first-round pick. The 25-year-old right-hander pitched to a 2.43 ERA with a 30/7 K/BB ratio through six starts at Triple-A Las Vegas to open the season. He’s worth a look as a streaming option in deeper leagues.

Hoglund is a former first-round pick, and the 25-year-old has forged a 30/7 K/BB ratio over six starts with a 2.43 ERA to accompany it while pitching for Triple-A Las Vegas. He’ll be a streamer to begin his big-league career, but there could be something here.

Clarke will likely be an up-and-down outfielder for the A’s in 2025. Hoglund and Cusick both have a chance to make appearances as well.