Where Does Tommy White Fit in the A's Mix at Third Base?

Heading into the 2026 season, the A's infield looks fairly locked in with American League Rookie of the Year Nick Kurtz at first base, his runner-up Jacob Wilson at shortstop, and veteran Jeff McNeil at second base. The only spot really up for grabs is third base, with several solid options including Max Muncy, Darell Hernaiz and Andy Ibáñez.

With every other spot in the infield being essentially locked down, all of the infield depth is looking to win the open spot at third base. Other third base options still in the A's camp include Brett Harris and even the 19-year-old Leo De Vries, looking to fight for a spot on the team either in the immediate term, or potentially in the near future.

The team is currently a week into their spring games, and several names have showed out so far. Heading into Monday's games, Max Muncy was batting .333 with a 1.179 OPS in 12 at-bats. Darell Hernaiz, the current team leader in hits with 5, has posted a .455 batting average and a 1.265 OPS in 11 at-bats.

Alongside Hernaiz at the top of the A's hit leaderboard is their starting left-fielder Tyler Soderstrom—and A's prospect Tommy White. The club selected White in the second round back in 2024 out of LSU, and now his strong start to this spring could add him into the mix for a spot in the big leagues this season.

In White's first nine at-bats this Spring, he's posted a .556 batting average with a 1.489 OPS, including a home run, and as mentioned, his five hits has him tied for the most on the team.

Max Muncy is currently expected to win the starting role at third base, with Andy Ibáñez projected to be a bench/utility role on the Opening Day Roster.

With Darell Hernaiz looking like he was playing himself into a roster spot before he left the club to play for Puerto Rico in the World Baseball Classic, it seems unlikely that Tommy White would break A's camp with the big-league club, given that he only has 27 games in Double-A under his belt.

However, in previous seasons, the A's have made midseason call-ups that have been quite successful. Back in 2023, the A's called up Zack Gelof and Tyler Soderstrom at the halfway point, and followed that up with Jacob Wilson's debut the following year.

Gelof ended up being one of the team's best hitters the rest of that season, and Soderstrom would end up becoming a huge part of the A's offense in the following seasons. Just last season, Nick Kurtz was called up midseason, and performed his way to a Rookie of the Year award.

Just because Tommy White is a long shot to work himself onto the A's roster this month, doesn't mean he won't impact the club later in the season. If he can continue to rake his way through Spring Training, and continue to do so in Triple-A Las Vegas, we could see him in the big leagues as early as this season.

Tommy White will also have to be on the lookout for other A's prospects looking to get time at the hot corner in 2026. Leo De Vries, a natural shortstop, could get time at third base in Triple-A to start the year. The A's 2024 third rounder, Joshua Kuroda-Grauer has also been hitting well this spring and could look to play some third base in Double-A or Triple-A this season as well.

With so many spots on the A's roster nailed down around the diamond, i's going to be tough for the prospects to poke through, which should lead to some interesting competition in 2026.

As long as White can continue to do his thing at whatever level he's playing at, his raw talent and power should make him an impactful player in the big leagues sooner than later. And who knows, maybe he'll get a taste of the show in 2026.

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