A's Top Prospects Tyler Soderstrom and Zack Gelof Among Latest Spring Roster Cuts

The A's made their weekly round of roster cuts on Sunday, trimming another five players from their camp roster and leaving the A's with 36 players left in camp. 31 of those players are on the 40-man roster, five are non-roster invites.

The A’s have reassigned left-handed pitcher Jake Fishman, right-handed pitcher Rico Garcia, catcher Tyler Soderstrom, infielder Zack Gelof and outfielder Denzel Clarke to their minor league camp.
— Oakland A's Communications (@AthleticsPR) March 20, 2023

Mark Kotsay had said earlier this week that Tyler Soderstrom's development was more important that having him take on the backup catching duties with Manny Piña's injury, but he also said that the club hadn't ruled him out as an option. This move would seem to take him out of the running to be Oakland's backup catcher on Opening Day. Yohel Pozo, who has also been reassigned this spring, and Kyle McCann remain the two most likely internal options behind the dish.

Soderstrom is Oakland's top prospect.

Jake FIshman, Denzel Clarke, and Zack Gelof all had stints in the World Baseball Classic, and Fishman was the only one that really had a shot of breaking camp with the A's, as Gelof (Triple-A) and Clarke (Double-A) continue to develop in the minors.

Gelof, the A's #3 prospect on MLB Pipeline, went 7-for-22 this spring (.318) with a .423 OBP, two doubles, three walks, and seven strikeouts. The A's will want to see him cut down on the K's in Triple-A before bringing him up to Oakland. The 23-year-old went 2-for-3 with a double on Sunday.

Clarke, 22, the A's #13 prospect, went 6-for-13 (.462) with a .632 OBP, a double and a triple, along with four walks and four strikeouts. The pairing of Clarke and Lawrence Butler in Midland is going to be a must-see duo this season.

Fishman signed as a minor league free agent this winter and provides the A's with a nice lefty depth option. With the injury to Kirby Snead, he could find himself back in the A's bullpen plans with a hot start to the Triple-A season if Oakland feels they need another left-hander in the bullpen. Sam Moll is the only confirmed southpaw in there at the moment, though JP Sears is likely to join him as the long-man in the A's 'pen.

Speaking of the A's bullpen, Rico Garcia looked to be a solid contender for that spot left open by Snead after posting a 2.45 ERA across 7.1 innings and collecting 11 strikeouts. He also walked five batters in those innings. As I mentioned in my latest roster projection, it seemed as though the battle for the final bullpen spot was between Garcia and Drew Steckenrider. Garcia being reassigned seems to make it clear that the veteran Steckenrider will get the Opening Day nod.