Max Muncy to Get Extra Work in Arizona Fall League

Jul 2, 2025; Tampa, Florida, USA; Athletics third baseman Max Muncy (10) reacts after hitting a home run against the Tampa Bay Rays in the ninth inning at George M. Steinbrenner Field. Mandatory Credit: Nathan Ray Seebeck-Imagn Images | Nathan Ray Seebeck-Imagn Images

A's rookie Max Muncy made his MLB debut in 2025 after making the team's Opening Day roster, but after some struggles and time missed due to injury, he's set to be one of the A's representatives in the Arizona Fall League next month.

The 23-year-old former first rounder said that he isn't quite sure where he'll be stationed on the field, but he figures to be used at third base a bit. He spent time at second, third, and shortstop with the A's this season.

Muncy made the A's roster to begin the year following the injury to second baseman Zack Gelof in the final week of camp, and slugged his first home run up in Seattle, a place that's special to him now since that's where he debuted.

Through April 20, Muncy was batting .176 with a .211 OBP in his first stint with the club, and ended up getting optioned to Triple-A Las Vegas at that point. He started hitting immediately in Vegas, going 12-for-29 (.414) in his first six games with the Aviators to finish out the month of April.

His hot hitting continued into May, as Muncy hit .299 with a .398 OBP, two home runs and 18 RBI. He was added back to the A's roster in early June, and he found much more success at the plate, batting .230 with a .292 OBP in June, and hitting .250 with a .278 on-base in July.

On July 22 he landed on the IL after suffering a hand fracture after being hit on the hand against the Texas Rangers. It's the second season in a row that he's missed a big chunk of time after being hit by a pitch on the hand.

Muncy returned to the A's roster on September 20 when Gelof landed back on the IL with a dislocated left shoulder, though he has not been in the starting lineup since his return. Gelof had surgery for his injury on Wednesday with Dr. Neil ElAttrache at the Kerlan-Jobe Orthopaedic Center in Los Angeles.

Dr. ElAttrache performed an anterior labral-capsule repair to address the instability following the shoulder dislocation Gelof sustained in Pittsburgh on Sept. 19. 

Between Nick Kurtz beginning the year in Vegas, and Muncy's arrival in late April, the Aviators managed to go 49-26 in the first half of the season, punching their ticket to the postseason early with a strong first half.

The Aviators finished the job sans Muncy and Kurtz this week, taking down Tacoma in the Pacific Coast League championship, and will now face either the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders (Yankees), or the Jacksonville Jumbo Shrimp (Marlins) on Saturday for the Triple-A championship.

The rest of the A's AFL roster will include a nice mix of top prospects and guys coming off intriguing seasons. The A's list is led by 2024 draftees Tommy White and Joshua Kuroda-Grauer, as well as the hot-hitting outfielder Ryan Lasko, righties Blaze Pontes and Ryan Dettmer, and left-hander Will Johnston.