Almost Everything Has Gone Wrong for the Athletics

Injuries are a part of baseball that every team deals with. I am not making an excuse for the A’s, but added context is important. Teams that are at the point where the A’s are in their life cycle – trending toward contending but not quite there – are usually going to have depth problems. Young players are filling spots, proving what they can be, and veterans are not yet inclined to sign up for an uncertain season.

Because of this, injuries are much more difficult to stomach. Denzel Clarke was the starting center fielder heading into the season and has been on the shelf since April. Luis Severino was the quasi-ace and has been out for nearly three months. Brent Rooker bounced on and off the injury list before knee surgery made that a more permanent spot.

Nick Kurtz, the most important piece to the A’s lineup, has struggled to stay healthy and is out (possibly for the year), while Jacob Wilson and Zack Gelof are back, but have been injured throughout the year. Oh yeah, Shea Langeliers, their All-Star catcher, is set to miss the rest of the season.

The A’s can’t buy a break. Rookie Joshua Kuroda-Grauer was given an opportunity due to other injuries and ruptured his testicle after a scorching-hot start. In many ways, that summarizes the A’s season.

Injuries have not only impacted the team’s depth but also their momentum. Getting the preferred lineup on the field all at once has been rare, and even when it has happened, it hasn’t been for a long enough stretch to truly settle in and click.

This domino effect has led to Donovan Walton, Brian Serven, and Alika Williams carving out roles. With all due respect to those players, that is not a formula for success, even if Walton has been sneaky good.

Younger players have been forced into roles that they might not have been ready for.

Tommy White found himself on the team after a solid but unspectacular season in Triple-A (remember, the PCL is hitter-friendly) and has struggled out of the gate. Henry Bolte landed a role and has been a productive player, but the idea of the 2026 season was not about prospects getting everyday roles and seeing how they develop. The idea was to get past 80 wins, and the A’s won’t be accomplishing that goal.

Key Bats Not Producing

In fairness, the A’s could never have surpassed 80 wins with all the injuries they have sustained. But, the stalled development of a few bats has not helped them withstand those injuries.

It was no secret that the only way the A’s would make any noise is if their bats carried the team. A deep lineup was their clear and obvious strength, but a step back for a few key players put more of an emphasis on a few to produce, and those few are on the injured list.

I thought Jeff McNeil was a great veteran addition to the A’s lineup. A contact bat, which the A’s have shown a preference for, that could round out the bottom third of the order and help turn the lineup over to Kurtz and the other drivers.

Instead, McNeil has slashed .255/.312/.331, good for a 79 wRC+. The average is fine, but the power has taken a step back, and for a player that couldn’t afford to lose any power, it has added a negative to an equation that didn’t have room for a negative.

A more impactful problem has been Lawrence Butler. The A’s gave him an extension after the 2024 season, and his step back in ’25 has snowballed into ’26. He’s become more passive, which has helped draw more walks but has sunk the rest of his game. A .206/.299/.330 slash with a massive dip in power from his 2024 season has made him unplayable at times.

Sure, he’s been slightly better of late, but the bar was so low after a terrible start that the only way to go is up. Obviously, Butler’s downturn has caused a problem in the A’s lineup for 2026, but it also impacts the team’s future. We know the A’s cash-strapped ways, and Butler’s salary could prevent them from making necessary moves to improve the roster.

Last is Jacob Wilson. In Wilson’s defense, he has dealt with injuries that have impacted his play, but the production has not been good enough. Any player that derives the majority of his value from putting the ball in play and not from power or drawing walks will have little room for error. Balls not landing in soft spots in the outfield or finding an infielder’s glove even 20 more times a season can drastically impact his numbers.

For Wilson to be successful, he needs to be sitting around or over .300. His on-base percentage is the lowest of his career, which only puts more stress on his average to carry weight, and at .269 he’s coming up short. Yes, his strides in the field have been significant and should not go unnoticed, but he needs to hit more in order for the A’s to correct course.

The list is longer, but you start to get into nitpicking territory. Max Muncy had a big opportunity this season to be an answer at third and has not made the most of it. Rooker’s terrible year was surrounded by a few injuries, so even I’ll give him a pass.

Bottom line, the offense could not afford to take a step back because the team’s pitching, well, has proven to be a problem.

Not Enough Pitching Success

Coming into the season, no one had high hopes for the A’s pitching staff. The rotation was full of names you would rather have as back-end options than leading your rotation throughout the season. A bullpen made up of castoffs has performed as such, leaving the A’s with little ability to make up for what the offense is lacking.

Luis Severino was productive before his injury but hardly provided enough of a lift. Once he was put on the shelf, veteran Jeffrey Springs needed to step up and instead pitched to a 6.17 ERA and 6.11 FIP across 22 starts before joining Severino on the IL.

Could Jacob Lopez replicate the success he found last season? Nope. How about Luis Morales, a former top prospect, finding his way? He was demoted after only a few starts and then landed in the bullpen before going back to Triple-A, where he has a 7.56 ERA in 58.1 innings. Two pitchers who helped the team in 2025 are essentially doing nothing for the team in 2026.

Luckily, the A’s have seen two arms step up. J.T. Ginn has emerged as a legit option in the rotation moving forward, pitching to a 3.41 ERA and 4.23 FIP across 121.1 innings.

At times he has been dominant, and even after a rough July, he has bounced back in August. While I don’t view him as a front-line starter, a middle-of-the-rotation arm was something the A’s needed to discover, and Ginn looks like an answer.

The frontline piece could come from rookie Gage Jump. The 23-year-old lefty has shown his high-upside, swing-and-miss, stuff while posting a 4.46 ERA, but more importantly, a 3.51 FIP. He’ll have to iron out his command and go through some growing pains, but at the end of the day, the A’s have two starters they should be comfortable with in 2027. The issue is you need at least five.

Prospect arms with more upside were not projected to make the roster in 2026. However, a number of second-tier arms have been given a chance and have not produced. Jack Perkins, a pitcher I was personally high on, has bounced back and forth from the rotation to the bullpen and has struggled mightily.

Mason Barnett and Kade Morris came with some intrigue. Neither has made much of their opportunity. You could go through the list of veterans who have been given the ball out of the bullpen, but few are worth highlighting their season.

A team that was not projected to have much pitching, well, does not have much pitching. The A’s got exactly what they should have out of these arms. The issue is how the roster was constructed from the beginning. Without a doubt, the A’s need to make serious changes to avoid a repeat problem in 2027.

Final Thoughts

Is this a step back in the rebuild process or a speed bump? Considering the injuries, I’m leaning toward a speed bump. But, the clear issues with this team heading into the season are still very much there. No answer at third, questions at second, and a pitching staff that needs 10 new arms, at least.

The A’s have a new general manager taking over, and their work is cut out for them. Not only do they have a number of needs, but whoever takes over will also have to negotiate this offseason with little money and a minor league ballpark to call home. This has been a lost season, and the A’s cannot afford for next year to be one as well.