A's Focus During Final Month of 2025

"Continued progress defensively, really. For the young players we're going to we're going to test their grind, their grit. We got 24 games left, I think, to go out and continue to play the type of baseball we've been playing. We have to sustain it going into next year. It's going to be difficult though.

"I mean, we've got a lot of guys out, guys that are filling in the rotation. It's going to be good to get Severino back [on Tuesday]. But we lost a big starter in Lopez that was having a lot of success. We lost another big arm in Perkins that was really stepping up and coming into his own, but the guys have to step up. That's the nature of the game.

"It's a grind. It's a six month season that is a grind. Every team goes through it. You're going to have injuries that you have to find guys to fill in and step up. So that's a test that I want to see some of these younger players, the guys like [Brett] Harris, the guys like [Darell] Hernaiz that are given this opportunity over the next 24 games to really leave that impression that they, they continue to grow, continue to get better and be prepared for next season."

The way that the A's roster is shaking out, there won't be a ton of position player roster spots available when spring training opens up next year, so for Kotsay to mention both Harris and Hernaiz, he is not only noting their improved performances since they were called up, but also alluding to the fact that there may only be a roster spot available for one of them next season.

With Denzel Clarke on the roster, the A's are just a better defensive club. It's hard not to be with the best defender in baseball patrolling center field. Getting him back will be a huge boost to the team's overall defense, but it will also be key for the other seven players in the field to continue improving, because many of them are entrenched at their positions.

While the A's defense ranks No. 26 in Defensive Runs Saved this season, there was a point earlier in the season where they ranked even lower. There have certainly been gains made with the gloves outside of Clarke's abilities. The Athletics ranked No. 29 in DRS last season, so they're trending in the right direction.

That said, most teams with postseason aspirations rank at least as league average defensive clubs (outside of the Philadelphia Phillies), so there is still some progress to be made to reach their ultimate goal of playing in October and contending for a World Series.

This final stretch of games will be a chance for the A's to prove that they can sustain the recent success they've had as a unit, while individual players can also earn their spots on the 2026 version of the club.