Tyler

Soderstrom

It’s a rare day off for Soderstrom, who has gone into an extended tailspin at the dish recently, batting .228 (13-for-57) with zero homers and one steal over his last 15 games. The 23-year-old slugger hasn’t gone deep since April 17 when he connected for his ninth big fly of the season. He’s likely going to be an extremely streaky hitter moving forward and unfortunately for fantasy managers, he’s in the midst of a cold spell at the moment.

With the scored tied 0-0, Soderstrom laced a two-run double off Patrick Corbin to give the A’s the lead and ultimately the victory. The 23-year-old first baseman has been exceptional over the first month of the season with 24 RBI over 29 games and an OPS of .940.

Kurtz takes a seat with lefty Patrick Corbin on the mound for Monday’s series opener at Globe Life Field. The 22-year-old top prospect is hitting .250 (4-for-16) with three RBI through five games since being promoted last week to the big leagues. Some initial turbulence isn’t unexpected as Kurtz acclimates to life in the majors less than a calendar year after being selected fourth overall in the draft. It’ll be Tyler Soderstrom at the cold corner on Monday night in his place.

Soderstrom has been outstanding to begin 2025, and on top of the three-hit day, the 23-year-old also stole his first base of the year. Don’t expect many more of those, but if he keeps hitting .310/.369/.620, it won’t matter. That’s not likely to happen, but there’s a reason Soderstrom was considered a top 50 prospect in baseball not long ago.

Kurtz is at first base and batting seventh on Wednesday night in his highly-anticipated major-league debut against the division-rival Rangers. The 22-year-old top prospect is likely to play everyday at first base for the Athletics after hitting .321/.385/.655 with seven homers and 24 RBI over 20 games for Triple-A Las Vegas. His arrival shifts Brent Rooker and Tyler Soderstrom to hybrid left field and DH roles. Kurtz, who was selected fourth overall in the 2024 MLB Draft, projects as an immediate four-category impact fantasy contributor thanks to his ability to hit for both average and power as a true middle-of-the-order run-producing slugger.

As expected, Kurtz is not in Tuesday’s lineup. He’s already joined the Athletics at Sutter Health Park for Tuesday’s series opener against the Rangers, but won’t be officially promoted until Wednesday’s contest since veteran lefty Patrick Corbin is on the mound for Texas. Athletics general manager David Forst told reporters that Tyler Soderstrom will see time in left field and at DH when Kurtz is at first base. The 22-year-old top prospect projects as an immediate four-category impact fantasy contributor and should be rostered in all formats.

Soderstrom has only caught and played first base in his career, but he has the legs to potentially be of use in the outfield if he adjusts well to tracking flies; he’s actually in the 67th percentile of players in sprint speed this season. Given his hot start, his spot in the lineup is assured regardless.

It’s happening. Kurtz projects as an immediate four-category impact contributor for fantasy purposes and should be rostered in all formats. The 22-year-old burgeoning slugger controls the strike zone and boasts stratospheric raw power without sacrificing anything from an approach standpoint. He was selected fourth overall in the 2024 MLB Draft and gets the call to the majors after slashing a sublime .321/.385/.655 with seven homers and 24 RBI over 20 games for Triple-A Las Vegas. He’ll take over as the Athletics’ starting first baseman with Brent Rooker heading to the outfield and red-hot Tyler Soderstrom moving to DH. Gallegos adds that Kurtz is likely to make his major-league debut on Wednesday night against the division-rival Rangers.

Soderstrom did his damage in the seventh inning of this one, launching a 3-2 slider from Brandon Eisert for a 374-foot (103.9 mph EV) solo shot that made it a 5-0 ballgame. It has taken the 23-year-old slugger just 19 games to match his home run output from the 2024 season where he swatted nine long balls in 213 plate appearances over 61 ballgames. He’s obviously not going to continue at this remarkable pace, but Soderstrom needs to be rostered and started in all fantasy leagues.

That noise you hear is the footsteps of top prospect Nick Kurtz nearing the major league roster. With Kurtz crushing the ball in Triple-A, the Athletics are trying to make room in the lineup, and Rooker being able to play the outfield regularly would allow Kurtz and Tyler Soderstrom to trade off between 1B and DH. You should be stashing Kurtz in your leagues if he’s still available.