With Arrival of Nick Kurtz, Tyler Soderstrom to See Time in Left

Apr 18, 2025; Milwaukee, Wisconsin, USA; Athletics first baseman Tyler Soderstrom (21) singles during the first inning against the Milwaukee Brewers at American Family Field. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Hanisch-Imagn Images | Jeff Hanisch-Imagn Images

The big question on everyone's mind this season has been where the Athletics would play Tyler Soderstrom, arguably the team's best hitter this season, when No. 1 prospect Nick Kurtz inevitably makes his debut. With the news coming out that Kurtz will be added to the roster on Wednesday, A's GM David Forst took some questions from the media about the team's big move.

One of the first questions he was asked is what happens to Soderstrom with the arrival of Kurtz?

"We've obviously talked about it a lot, since the start of the season. It's not every day you take your best hitter, in Tyler, and ask him to sort of move. That said, Tyler has been outstanding through this whole process. [A's manager] Mark [Kotsay] has had numerous conversations with him the past couple of weeks.

"He's started taking balls in left field during the last homestand, and Tyler has been adament that whatever we need from him, he's willing to do. Whether that's the outfield, whether that's catching, or DHing. I think that the first thing you'll probably see is Tyler playing left field and NIck playing first base. But also, we've seen Brent [Rooker] go out to left field a few times in the last couple of weeks."

Forst also mentioned that while Kurtz was in town for the start of the series in Sacramento, that they wanted to give him the day to acclimate himself. Having a left-handed starter in Patrick Corbin going for the Texas Rangers may have helped that decision just a touch.

Kurtz isn't going to be a platoon bat for the A's, but finding him a nice landing spot and letting him get settled is one way that the club is trying to ensure he hits the ground running.

Forst also mentioned that part of the reason that they felt like the timing was right for Kurtz's arrival (besides his performance in Triple-A) was that the roster seemed a little too right-handed against righty starters. Adding Kurtz will give the club another power option, in addition to Soderstrom, JJ Bleday, and Lawrence Butler.

With Soderstrom likely headed to left field a bit more often, that could also mean that we have now seen the last of Seth Brown in an A's uniform. Both are left-handed bats, and Brown has started just six of the A's 23 games, and only four of those games have come in left field. The playing time just may not be there with Soderstrom also in the left field mix.

That said, one of the six starts Brown has had this season came in center field to give Bleday a day off, and without Brown, the A's wouldn't necessarily have a backup centerfielder on the roster. Max Schuemann would likely be given a chance since he can play anywhere, and Lawrence Butler has played some games there while providing league average defense, but there's not a clear choice.

The only other option to clear a spot would potentially be to opton Jhonny Perada, who has started just four games behind the dish as Shea Langeliers' backup. Soderstrom could don his catcher's gear now and again, and would essentially open up a spot on the roster for a bench bat.

The one problem with that option is that Kurtz is not yet on the 40-man roster, so someone will either have to be placed on the 60-day IL, or someone else would have to get DFA'd while Perada gets optioned.