2026 MLB Update: The A’s Season From Hell

The Athletics have been crushed by injuries this year. Brent Rooker was ruled out for the remainder of the season in June, and Shea Langeliers will likely follow suit after tearing his meniscus in July. Rooker wasn’t playing well to begin with, which could potentially be attributed to playing through pain. Langeliers, on the other hand, was having a productive season and earned his first All-Star starter selection.

As if losing two of the team’s main contributors and leaders for the year wasn’t a big enough blow, the injury bug has bitten numerous others. Jacob Wilson, Tyler Soderstrom, Nick Kurtz, Joshua Kuroda-Grauer, Denzel Clarke, JT Ginn, and Luis Severino have all had IL stints. These aren’t just random guys on a roster. These were players who have had success in the league and were expected to be starters throughout the season. It just seems like the A’s can’t catch a break.

While the injuries have made things more difficult, they are not an excuse for the level of play that’s been exhibited over the last month and a half. The pitching was expected to be a problem going into the season, but it’s been even worse than anticipated. Athletics pitchers have the worst ERA, OBA, and WHIP in the American League. That is frankly unacceptable and embarrassing, and led to longtime pitching coach Scott Emerson’s dismissal.

The offense has been decent, but nowhere near the level of dominance they are capable of. The most concerning aspect is that the guys who have been extended are the ones who are clearly struggling. Soderstrom and Wilson received contract extensions this past offseason, while Lawrence Butler did the same the offseason before, and they have all regressed since then. It’s not game over for them by any means, but it begs the question: will the A’s front office be more cautious when handling extensions in the future?

Perhaps the biggest question is what the future holds for manager Mark Kotsay. He was given a three-year contract extension just last season that ties him to the Athletics through 2028, but this season has to have raised some eyebrows in the organization. Kotsay is constantly praised by his players and is clearly well-liked in the clubhouse, but how long is losing acceptable for?

This is the A’s skipper’s fifth season at the helm, and it’s extremely likely to be his fifth straight losing record. The team has been in rebuild mode since he took over, so there is some grace there, but this is year five. The last two campaigns finished on high notes, and this was supposed to be the time that momentum turns into results. Sure, a lot of things have gone wrong in 2026, but as the manager, he’s responsible for the team’s outcome.

This doesn’t look like a team that has fully quit just yet, but some of these blowout losses are starting to give off a hint of it. If that ever does become completely evident, and the front office has any interest in producing a winning baseball team, then Kotsay will have to go. He will surely finish out this season and start the next, but he should be put on notice. If 2027 is anything like the nightmare this has been, he will not be leading the A’s when they open up that shiny new Las Vegas stadium in 2028.

The Athletics still have an extremely bright future and a strong offensive core to build around. Ginn and rookie Gage Jump have shown promise for the future of the rotation, with top prospects like Jamie Arnold and Wei-En Lin lurking. This season has been a total disappointment; there’s no way around that. Hopefully, this will end up being a minor bump in the road; the fellas finish the year on a positive note and show up in 2027 ready to right some wrongs.