New York's Aaron Judge Tied with A's Slugger for Home Run Lead

The A's first baseman has been on a tear to open up his 2025 campaign.

Apr 7, 2025; West Sacramento, California, USA; Athletics first base Tyler Soderstrom (21) rounds the bases after hitting a home run against the San Diego Padres during the third inning at Sutter Health Park. Mandatory Credit: Ed Szczepanski-Imagn Images | Ed Szczepanski-Imagn Images

Heading into last night's series opener between the A's and San Diego Padres at Sutter Health Park, first baseman Tyler Soderstrom had four home runs, behind several star players, including Kyle Tucker and Tommy Edman. In Soderstrom's second at-bat of the game, in the bottom of the third, he'd strike his fifth homer of the season.

In the bottom of the seventh, Soderstrom stepped up again and hit yet another solo bomb, which brought the A's within one run. That homer would be Soderstrom's sixth of the season, which has tied him with Aaron Judge for the most home runs in Major League Baseball.

This wasn't Soderstrom's only multi-homer game this season. Just a couple of weeks ago, Soderstrom launched a pair of home runs in the A's first game of the season in Seattle against the Mariners.

Something seems to be clicking this season for Tyler Soderstrom. This off-season, there were concerns about the A's first base position because of Soderstrom's slow start to his big league career.

It was also known that A's prospect Nick Kurtz would be on his way to the big leagues sooner than later, so Soderstrom's replacement could be up soon.

With Kurtz mashing in Triple-A right now, and Tyler Soderstrom performing as one of the best hitters in the A's lineup right now, it could cause a bit of a roster crunch for the A's. Likely one of them could get reps in the outfield, or even give Soderstrom some time at DH or catcher.

Heading into Monday's game, Soderstrom was dealt the new task as being the team's three-hole hitter, as JJ Bleday's struggles led manager Mark Kotsay to move him down to the five hole.

Clearly, Soderstrom is ready to hit higher up in the lineup, and it could help give the A's a spark at the top of the lineup until Rooker and Bleday start heating up again.