Tyler Soderstrom and Zack Gelof have long been considered potential franchise cornerstones for the A’s. Now is the time for both of them.
Soderstrom — ranked by MLB Pipeline as the No. 1 contender for Oakland and the No. 34 overall contender — and A’s No. 3 contender Gelof are both named to the majors, a source told MLB.com. Both are expected to join the club ahead of Friday’s opener against the Twins at the Coliseum.
Soderstrom, 21, flexed his muscles at Triple-A Las Vegas this season, leading the Aviators with 20 homers and 59 RBIs and an .839 OPS in 69 games. The catcher/first baseman competed in the All-Star Futures Game at Seattle’s T-Mobile Park last week.
The 23-year-old Gelof bats .304 in Las Vegas with a team-leading OPS of .930 with 12 homers, 21 doubles, 44 RBIs and 20 stolen bases. The infielder’s rapid rise to the major leagues will take almost two years to the day he was drafted by Oakland in the second round of the 2021 MLB Draft.
Soderstrom and Gelof are at the forefront of a group of multiple prospects who are expected to help shape the franchise’s next wave of baseball victories. For a rehabilitated A club that struggled in the first half, their arrival means anticipation for the second half and hope that a new chapter is about to begin.