A's Outfield Mix Uncertain for 2026 Following Injury News

In the end-of-season media call, A's GM David Forst provided an injury update on outfielder Lawrence Butler, who was playing through injury towards the end of the season.

"He has a patellar tendon strain in his right knee. He's been playing through it the last couple of weeks. He will see a couple of specialists this week to determine whether surgery is necessary on his right knee. If and when we have specifics on that, we'll let you know."

Butler signed an extension with the Athletics before the start of the 2025 season after a terrific second half in 2024 where he and Brent Rooker were two of the top-10 hitters in baseball. If the injury requires surgery, that could put him out of action for some time into 2026.

Butler ended up hitting .234 with a .306 OBP in 2025, but also put up the first 20-20 season by an A's player in over a decade. Even in a down year for him, Butler was still able to remain productive, and took the switch from playing in right field where he was a solid defender, to center field regularly, in stride. He robbed a number of home runs in center after Denzel Clarke went down.

Speaking of Clarke, Forst said that it was a good sign that he was able to play nine innings in the Triple-A championship game on Saturday, and will go into the offseason as a "normal player" and not a rehab guy, which is good news for the club. The hope is that he'll be able to stay on the field in 2026, because when he's in center, he's the best defender in baseball.

Forst was also asked about the potential of moving Tyler Soderstrom yet again, with there being some chatter that he could potentially head back to the infield and give third base a shot for the 2026 campaign.

He was drafted as a catcher, then moved to first base, and this season when Nick Kurtz debuted, he was moved again to left field—a position he'd never played before. He ended up accruing +5 Outs Above Average in left, which was tied for the lead across baseball at the position.

The A's GM said, "I don't expect Tyler to move again. We talked to him at the end of the year, and I will be honest, third base came up earlier in the season when we first moved him, and you know, he hadn't done it in a long time. He hadn't played that side of the infield, so we didn't want to push the envelope.

"The reality is, he turned himself into a really good left fielder in a short, short amount of time, and given a full off season and a spring training to work on it, I think he can be an outstanding defensive left fielder. So right now, I think our plans are to have Tyler play the outfield."

Soderstrom broke out in 2025, and when asked about what defines a core player around the All Star break, manager Mark Kotsay mentioned Sodrestrom by name, and listed off a number of his attributes. He had some struggles at the plate following a hot start to the season, but as he grew more comfortable in left, his bat also picked up.

He ended up leading the team in RBI with 93 thanks to a new approach at the dish, and was in the middle of the team's impressive offense through the campaign. He could also earn some love when it comes to the Gold Glove award, all while playing a new position.

How much Butler's potential injury plays into the team's decision to keep Soderstrom in left—while they have a number of outfield prospects that could be vyiing for time—is unknown. Forst did leave in the caveat of "for now" when discussing Soderstrom in the outfield, but it's hard to envision the club making him move yet again while he has excelled in a brand new situation this season.

We'll have to see how the roster comes together this winter.