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Apr 17, 2026; West Sacramento, California, USA; Athletics center fielder Denzel Clarke (1) attempts to catch the ball during the first inning of the game against the Chicago White Sox at Sutter Health Park. Mandatory Credit: Ed Szczepanski-Imagn Images | Ed Szczepanski-Imagn Images
Happy Wednesday A’s fans!
This week is the Athletics second weeklong home stand of the season. Tonight, the team will play its second of three games against the Kansas City Royals. This weekend, Stephen Vogt’s Cleveland Guardians come to California’s capital for a three-game series. The A’s need to do better this week after dropping two out of three to the Chicago White Sox to conclude their most recent stretch of games at Sacramento’s Sutter Health Park.
Through the first full month of the season, the team has performed better on the road, playing in and winning more games against several quality opponents. If Mark Kotsay’s squad wants to make it through May competing with the Seattle Mariners and/or Texas Rangers for first place, then the Athletics must improve their level of play at home.
After getting through the first couple weeks of the season relatively injury-free, the A’s are starting to see injuries pile up among their position players. Just as the team got designated hitter Brent Rooker back from a 14-game absence with an oblique strain, they placed starting center fielder Denzel Clarke on the injured list with a bone bruise in his foot. As long as Clarke continues to suffer injuries that force him to miss time, he will not get the copious amount of plate appearances he needs to improve his offensive ability, which at the moment is way behind his prowess on the grass.
In Rooker’s absence, Carlos Cortes stepped up in a huge way. He is fresh off winning the American League Player of the Week Award, a well-deserved first career award for the late-blooming outfielder. This past week, Cortes hit .542 (13-for-24) with three homers, seven RBI, two doubles, a triple, four runs scored, a 1.083 slugging percentage and a .542 on-base percentage across six games.
Yesterday, third baseman Max Muncy joined Clarke on the injured list. He had been playing through a fractured finger which happened when he was hit on the hand by a pitch in a game two weeks ago. During last night’s game, left fielder Tyler Soderstrom hurt himself attempting to make a diving catch. Cortes replaced him and proceeded to get on base in all three of his at-bats. Hopefully it was just a precautionary removal as the team cannot afford to lose Soderstrom for an extended period of time.
Luckily, the Athletics’ pitching staff has mostly stayed healthy so far. On Sunday, they survived a scare involving J.T. Ginn, whose start ended abruptly due to right arm soreness. However, he is healthy, has no injury designation and is likely to make his next start. Given the A’s limited pitching depth, the team can ill afford too many injuries to pitchers if they want to take the next step and compete for the playoffs or at the very least finish the season with a winning record.
Last May, the Athletics franchise-worst 1-20 stretch put to rest any hopes they had of competing for the playoffs. What are you hoping to see from the team as May approaches? Can the bullpen keep up its strong performance or will it doom the team for a second-straight May?
A’s Coverage:
- A’s drop opener 4-1 to Royals in extra innings
- A’s roster moves: Muncy to IL, Harris recalled
- Kurtz ‘starting to get back to himself’ — and that’s a scary prospect
- What the Athletics’ Hot Start Means for Their 2026 Trade Deadline Strategy
- When he Reached the New World, Cortes Burned Opposing Pitchers
- Denzel Clarke placed on IL with bone bruise in foot; OF Thomas recalled
- It Might Be Time For Some Crosby Love
- ‘Come in and do you’: Journeyman Kuhnel has found his place in A’s ‘pen
- Lawrence Butler’s Rough Start Comes With a Big Asterisk
- Former A’s owner: Sacramento “Should Be in the Mix” for MLB Expansion
- A’s roster moves: Basso recalled, Barnett optioned
- Do-Overs For (Almost) Everyone In The AL West
- Today Is A Day Of Special Meaning — For More Than One Reason
- A’s Top Pitching Prospects Are Dominating to Start 2026
- A’s top prospect Leo De Vries pops his first two homers of the season at Double-A
- Armchair 101: The Challenge Of Judging Decisions In Real Time
- AN Exclusive: Blogfather Observes The Wild Denzelope In Its Natural Habitat
- AN Exclusive: Blogfather Toes The Rubber With Pitching Coach Scott Emerson
- AN Exclusive: Blogfather Catches Up With Starting Pitcher Jacob Lopez
MLB News and Interest:
- Phillies dismiss Rob Thomson; Mattingly named interim manager
- Dombrowski, Cora discussed Phils’ manager job, but ‘he wanted to be a father first and foremost’
- What’s next for Red Sox after firing manager Alex Cora, five coaches
- With a little drama, Miller’s scoreless streak ends at 34 2/3 innings
- Yankees To Place Giancarlo Stanton On Injured List
- Blue Jays Place Max Scherzer On Injured List
- Guards calling up Aussie Bazzana, No. 1 overall Draft pick from 2024 (source)
- Dodgers call Diaz’s injury ‘best case scenario’
- Rice catches Judge, Judge says ‘Not so fast’ as duo make HR history
- Can Chase Dollander Defeat Coors Field?
- Today in Baseball History
Best of X:
Athletics top prospect, shortstop Leo De Vries, recorded three hits, including this home run in yesterday’s game with Double-A Midland.
The injury-bug continues to bite right-handed pitching prospect Braden Nett, who the A’s acquired along with De Vries and two other players in exchange for closer Mason Miller last July.
Max Muncy’s recent offensive slump was likely connected to the injury he had been playing through. Why did it take the A’s this long to diagnose and take action?
The A’s may not be the only team bound for Las Vegas in the near future. In addition to a potential new NBA team, MLS is talking about possibly relocating the Vancouver Whitecaps from Canada to Southern Nevada. Does the city have the capacity to support all these professional sports franchises?
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