Carlos Cortes goes yard in win over Twins

Clarke was working his way back from a foot injury when he hurt his hamstring in late May. He returned to the field on August 18 and has since gone 6-for-13 with one home run, five RBI, and a 3/4 K/BB ratio. He has not yet attempted a steal, which would be nice to see to verify the health of his hamstring, but there is a chance that Clarke can return to center field for the Athletics by the end of the week, which would push Henry Bolte to a corner outfield spot and may cost Carlos Cortes playing time.

Soderstrom receives his first day off since July 12. The 24-year-old corner outfielder is hitting .258 (23-for-89) with five homers, 14 RBI and one steal in 23 games since last month’s All-Star break. It’ll be Zack Gelof taking over in left field with Carlos Cortes taking a turn at DH.

Bolte has been a fixture in center field since his arrival in the big leagues, so he’ll get a hard-earned day off in this one. Lawrence Butler will slide over to take his place in center with Carlos Cortes starting in right field and batting eighth for the A’s against Sonny Gray and the Red Sox on Thursday evening in West Sacramento.

Soderstrom landed on the 10-day injured list with a left hip impingement on Jun 29th, and the expectation remains that he will return after the All-Star break. However, we’ll need to see him resume some activities this week before we can be confident he will return right after the break. In the meantime, Carlos Cortes will continue to start against right-handed pitchers, with Colby Thomas starting against lefties. The Athletics will see three lefties in their next six games.

Cortes got off to a stunning start to force the A’s to play against righties, but his OPS has gone from 1.128 in April to .738 in May to .352 in 47 plate appearances in June. With Lawrence Butler having overtaken him on the depth chart, he might be a candidate for demotion once Brent Rooker returns.

Cortes continues to receive opportunities atop the Athletics’ lineup against right-handed starters. He was moved to the top of the order back in mid-May and hasn’t looked back, hitting .273 (9-for-33) with one homer and a 4/10 K/BB ratio in 11 games since May 18.

Cortes led off the ballgame with a solo shot off Michael King on an 0-2 count. The 28-year-old breakout has walked more than he has struck out this season, and he was recently given the leadoff role against right-handers. That premium lineup spot could help with counting stats to offset any possible regression Cortes faces this summer.

Cortes has cooled off of late, but he’s still hitting .343/.400/.556 overall with just 10 strikeouts and fine EV numbers in 110 plate appearances. He has about 300 points of OPS on Tyler Soderstrom and 400 points on Lawrence Butler, the two guys flanking Bolte in center tonight. What he doesn’t have, however, is a long-term contract guaranteed through 2031 or ’32.

It’s not hyperbolic to suggest that Bolte has been one of the hottest hitters in the entire minors this season, slashing an absurd .348/.418/.658 with 12 homers and 17 steals across 37 games in the hitter-friendly Pacific Coast League. The 22-year-old offers an interesting blend of power and speed, and has made some noticeable strides in the contact department, while also adding some additional hard contact this season. His biggest obstacle to immediate fantasy relevance is how the Athletics get his bat into the lineup as he figures to platoon with Carlos Cortes in left field for now. He’s talented enough to warrant a speculative roster spot in all fantasy formats, but managers should keep expectations in check as he adjusts to everyday life in the big leagues.

Cortes hit a sacrifice fly off of Chris Bassitt in the second inning to open the scoring in the ballgame. He then singled in the seventh inning and swiped second base, but was cut down at the plate on a perfect throw from Leody Taveras with what would have been the tying run. He finished the afternoon 1-for-3 and is now hitting a blistering .355/.408/.570 with four homers, 15 RBI and one stolen base in 103 plate appearances on the season.