Athletics

Springs allowed a pair of homers and six other hard-hit balls in an outing that might have been a little better in neutral park, but probably not by overly much. He should fare better against the Rockies on Sunday, but he’s not a mixed-league option at the moment.

Harris entered with a 10-8 lead in the eighth and immediately got a double play ball to escape a jam. However, he went on to allow two runs in the ninth to take a blown save. Nothing that happens in Vegas this week should be taken too seriously, so we’re not going to ding Harris for giving up two runs in what turned out to be a 15-14 loss. He still looks like the favorite for saves in Sacramento.

Kurtz homered in the sixth and 10th innings before the A’s eventually fell in 12. The walk was an intentional pass in the final inning of the contest. Kurtz now has 14 homers and is tied for third in the majors with 48 RBI. He’s first with a .434 OBP ahead of Yordan Alvarez at .427 and Shohei Ohtani at .417.

A series in Las Vegas was just what the doctor ordered for Soderstrom, who hasn’t had much luck while already playing his home games in a very friendly ballpark for offense. He hit homers on 99- and 104-mph flies tonight, bringing his season total to 10. He’s 19-for-47 with five homers and 11 walks in his last 14 games, raising his OPS from .655 to .790.

There are once again two Max Muncys in the big leagues, with the Athletics’ version returning after nearly six weeks on the shelf with a fractured finger. The 23-year-old returns to his previous post as the club’s starting third baseman ahead of Monday’s series opener against the Brewers in Las Vegas. He offers a little bit of power and speed, but is unlikely to do enough in either department to net out as an impact fantasy contributor outside of AL-only leagues.

Hernaiz returns to the minors with Max Muncy back from the injured list ahead of Monday’s series opener against the Brewers. The 24-year-old infielder has hit an underwhelming .237/.318/.288 with one homer and three steals in 47 games this season. It’ll presumably be Alika Williams handling the bulk of the shortstop duties until Jacob Wilson (shoulder) is ready to return later this month.

Kurtz is up to 12 homers and seven steals to go along with a .276 average and a .923 OPS. His walk rate has exploded in his sophomore campaign, fueling the highest OBP in MLB so far this season. The absence of a high homer total is the only complaint fantasy managers might have, but opposing arms have seemingly decided to pitch around him any chance they get. Kurtz and the Athletics will return to hitter-friendly Sacramento for a 13-game homestand beginning Monday.

Jump struck out three and issued three walks in the outing, dropping his ERA to 2.45 through three starts in the big leagues. He’s now pitched into the seventh in back-to-back appearances, both of which came on the road. The 23-year-old rookie southpaw next lines up to face the Rockies at home. It kicks off a 13-game homestand in hitter-friendly Sacramento.

Make that two homers in three games for Rooker, who hasn’t lived up to draft-day expectations so far this season. He’s already dealt with an oblique injury and a minor knee issue, but his strikeout rate is up after he lowered it significantly in 2025. Over the past four seasons, it has gone from 32 percent to 28 percent to 22 percent. It’s back over 30 percent in 2026. Rooker and the entire Athletics lineup will look to heat up over the next two weeks. They’re set to begin a 13-game homestand in hitter-friendly Sacramento on Monday.

It appears to be nothing more than a routine day of rest for the 22-year-old outfielder. Lawrence Butler will start in his place in center field and will bat sixth for the A’s against Astros’ right-hander Mike Burrows.