Colby

Thomas

Thomas came into this one 0-for-12 in his last five appearances and 4-for-36 with one extra-base hit in his last 14. So, he needed this. Thomas has shown nice pop as a major leaguer, with his hard-hit rate checking in at 49 percent. Still, the 33 percent strikeout rate and .270 OBP are problems. The A’s probably shouldn’t reserve him a spot in their 2026 outfield, even if he might be helpful later.

With left-hander Payton Tolle on the bump, Soderstrom will get a rare day off for the finale against Boston. The 23-year-old will be joined on the bench by Lawrence Butler, so JJ Bleday and Colby Thomas will take their place in the outfield to begin Wednesday’s bout.

Bleday hit 381- and 428-foot homers off Sonny Gray. He’s been starting about half of the time against right-handers lately, though he’s getting to take advantage of Nick Kurtz’s absence right now. He’s batting .270/.343/.524 in 20 games since his recall last month, so the A’s could give him more time at Colby Thomas’s expense when Kurtz returns.

Thomas was mostly starting against lefties initially, but it seemed like that was changing last week, when he started twice in a row against righties. He actually went 7-for-14 with two homers during that four-game run of starts, only to find himself back on the bench this week. Last night, he came off the bench and did go 0-for-3, though one of his balls in play was hit 114.6 mph. He seems like someone the A’s should be taking a longer look at. Instead, they have Carlos Cortes playing right field today.

Thomas has been on a tear since the calendar flipped to August, batting .345 (10-for-29) with three homers, 11 RBI and a pair of stolen bases in 11 contests. The 24-year-old prospect got off to a frosty start at the dish in his first taste of the majors, but he’s flashing the power/speed combo skillset that made his an intriguing talent for fantasy purposes throughout his minor league career. He’s worthy of a speculative roster spot, even in shallow mixed leagues, over the final six weeks of the season.

Thomas put the A’s on the board with a double in the second inning to drive in a run. He then brought a second run home with a sacrifice fly in the fourth. Thomas added a base hit, stolen base, and a runs scored in the eighth. The 24-year-old outfielder is hitting .200/.261/.350 with one homer, seven RBI, and two steals across 46 plate appearances so far with the Athletics.

Butler has had a rough few months and lost a bit of playing time in the process, specifically against left-handed pitching. He put together some great at-bats against Orioles’ starter Tomoyuki Sugano here though. First, he got ahead 2-0 before smacking a double and eventually coming home to score the Athletics’ first run of the game. Then, he fought for a tough eight-pitch walk to lead-off the seventh inning, but was stranded on base. Then, he was lifted in the ninth for Colby Thomas as a pinch hitter when Baltimore brought left Keegan Akin in for the save. Thomas struck out on three pitches.

It took 16 games, but Thomas has his first MLB homer with a two-run shot off Mitchell Parker. He made it a three-RBI night when he added a sacrifice fly. Thomas is one of the better hitting prospects in the A’s system, but there’s been an adjustment period as seen in a slash of .156/.243/.313 in 32 at-bats to open his career.

With left-hander Mitchell Parker on the mound, the A’s will set Butler again. This has, sadly, become a trend with Butler sitting in each of the last three games against a left-handed pitcher with Colby Thomas getting into the starting lineup. We know Butler hasn’t been great against lefties this season, but he slashed .291/.315/.523 in 51 games against lefties last season, so it would make sense for the Athletics to see if he can regain his comfort there. As it stands, his fantasy value takes a hit if he’s going to be in a platoon.

It’s a rare night off for Butler, who launched his 14th homer of the season during Tuesday’s loss at Globe Life Field. The 25-year-old spark plug takes a seat with veteran southpaw Patrick Corbin toeing the rubber for Texas on Wednesday night. He’s hitting .195/.244/.390 this season against left-handed pitching. It’ll be Jacob Wilson bumping up to the leadoff spot with fellow rookie Colby Thomas patrolling center field.