Who's Primed to Take Over Potential Opening in A's Outfield?

With Colby Thomas injured and Carlos Cortes in the WBC, there is extra playing time for A's outfielders to make an impression

Sep 14, 2025; West Sacramento, California, USA; Athletics center fielder Colby Thomas (32) watches the ball go over the fence for a solo home run against the Cincinnati Reds during the fourth inning at Sutter Health Park. Mandatory Credit: Dennis Lee-Imagn Images | Dennis Lee-Imagn Images

The A's have one of the best defensive outfields in baseball when the group is all together. From Gold Glove finalist Tyler Soderstrom in left to the best glove in baseball Denzel Clarke patrolling center, and Lawrence Butler in right, they form arguably the best defensive outfield group in the big leagues.

Towards the end of last season, both left-hander Carlos Cortes and right-hander Colby Thomas were on the roster (with Clarke out), and the A's could roll with both of them once again, though they may choose to go with more depth at other positions.

The thought here is that Thomas could platoon with Lawrence Butler, who struggled against lefties, while Cortes would give the A's a nice left-handed bench bat, having him fill a roll in which he excelled last season.

According to Martín Gallegos of MLB.com, "Colby Thomas has been dealing with inflammation in his right elbow, which is why he’s only appeared in two games. He’ll begin a throwing program tomorrow and ramp up towards playing outfield. In the meantime, he’ll get some time to come off the bench as DH in games."

While it's a little easier for position players to ramp up to get ready for the season because they don't need five days of rest in between outings like starting pitchers, the question of when Thomas is able to play the outfield does come into play a little bit here—especially if he's in the mix to platoon with Butler to at least some degree.

With Thomas out for the time being, and Cortes off to play with Darell Hernaiz and the Puerto Rican team in the World Baseball Classic, there will be an opportunity for other outfielders to potentially insert themselves into the mix this spring.

New addition to 40-man

Feb 23, 2026; Scottsdale, Arizona, USA; Athletics center fielder Junior Perez (70) dives back to first against the San Francisco Giants in the first inning at Scottsdale Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Rick Scuteri-Imagn Images | Rick Scuteri-Imagn Images

The A's only have one other outfield option that is currently on the 40-man roster, and that is Junior Perez, who was added this past winter after a breakout 2025 campaign. The 24-year-old burst onto the scene when he arrived in Triple-A Las Vegas last year, batting .298 with a .412 OBP, 12 home runs and 11 stolen bases in 42 games.

He also walked 16.5% of the time, struck out 26.9% and held a BABIP of .363.

Late in the year, A's manager Mark Kotsay was asked about Perez, and he threw out a huge comp, saying, "He’s accomplished and more polished [than Perez], but Julio Rodríguez is a guy. It’s a really high comp, but he runs, plays good defense and he’s got pop. There’s a lot of swing-and-miss. Hopefully, we can clean that up. But there are some similarities."

So far this spring, Perez is 2-for-9 (.222) with four strikeouts and a hit-by-pitch. He can also play centerfield, which is an added bonus if he shows some consistency at the dish.

Veteran option

Jul 25, 2023; Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA; Seattle Mariners left fielder Cade Marlowe (18) celebrates his solo home run against the Minnesota Twins in the fifth inning at Target Field. Mandatory Credit: Bruce Kluckhohn-Imagn Images | Bruce Kluckhohn-Imagn Images

While Cortes was terrific in his role with the A's last season, there is an opportunity here for Cade Marlowe to get some extra playing time with the current outfield situation. The 28-year-old is a lefty swinger, which would make him an interesting player to keep an eye on in A's camp, given the team's lack of excess left-handed bats.

Marlowe spent parts of the 2023-24 seasons with the Seattle Mariners, and played in just 46 games in Triple-A last year following surgery to repair a bulging disc in his back. He made his season debut in July, and hit .316 with a .401 OBP, four home runs and 12 stolen bases.

He played mostly corner outfield in his time with Triple-A Tacoma last season, though he's also racked up plenty of time in center over his career. That bit of versatility defensively, plus his ability to run, could add a different dimension to the A's roster when he's clicking.

Marlowe is currently a non-roster invitee, meaning that someone would have to be removed from the roster in order for him to get called up.

The young gun

Feb 20, 2026; Mesa, AZ, USA; Athletics right fielder Henry Bolte (33) poses for Photo Day at HoHoKam Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Rick Scuteri-Imagn Images | Rick Scuteri-Imagn Images

Henry Bolte is a power/speed prospect that hasn't quite put it all together yet. This past season in Midland and Las Vegas, he swiped 44 bags, while crushing nine homers combined between the two stops. Still just 22, he has a career high of 15 homers in a season, which he accomplished in 2024, largely at High-A.

Now that he's a step away from the big leagues, he's certainly someone to keep an eye on. We've seen guys move quickly through the A's system when they click, and he could be one of those types of players for the club. In his 34 games with Vegas, Bolte hit .300 with a .404 OBP and held an 11.3% walk rate, though he was also striking out 32.6% of the time.

He also held a BABIP of .472, suggesting there may have been some batted ball luck on his side last in the year. This spring he's 2-for-11 (.182) with a double, a stolen base and two strikeouts. He's another option that can play all three outfield positions, if needed, which offers the A's some versatility.

All three outfielders will be in the A's lineup for today's game against the Cincinnati Reds.

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