Could Tyler Soderstrom be the A's Future Third Baseman?

It is no secret that Tyler Soderstrom has been raking to start the 2025 season. The 23-year-old from Turlock, CA has been arguably the A's best hitter through 16 games so far. Soderstrom is currently tied for the MLB lead in home runs with six, holds the ninth-highest slugging percentage (.644), and the eleventh-highest OPS (1.032).

In fact, the only players with more at-bats who are ahead of Soderstrom (59) on the SLG and OPS lists are Kyle Tucker (71) and Corbin Carroll (63).

Soderstrom simply cannot stop hitting and shows no signs of slowing down. He hinted at this potential last season, carrying high exit velocities and barrel rates, along with high bat speeds. This season, however, the former first-round pick is putting it all together.

There is a dilemma on the rise though, with A's No. 1 prospect Nick Kurtz taking Triple-A by storm. The 22-year-old is hitting .367 with a 1.226 OPS, smashing seven home runs and having more RBI (22) than strikeouts (15).

Kurtz, like Jacob Wilson, is on the fast track to the majors and might make his debut sooner than Wilson did.

Kurtz plays first base, and at 6-foot-5, 240 pounds, he most likely will not play anywhere else. Obviously, Soderstrom is the A's current starting first baseman, which is where the dilemma lies. The question is, how will the A's navigate giving Soderstrom and Kurtz, both lefties, regular everyday at-bats?

The likely answer is Soderstrom will move off of first base, but to which position? Thankfully for the A's, Soderstrom is pretty athletic, has a strong arm, and is young. Left field could be an option for Soderstrom, but the A's have a few outfield prospects nearing their debuts as well. Soderstrom in left could be a short-term option for the club.

Third base would be an interesting destination for Soderstrom, one he may fit very well. As stated, Soderstrom has the arm to fire from the hot corner, as he is a former catcher. He is athletic, which he has shown quite a few times making some impressive snags at first this season.

The looming issue is that Soderstrom has never played third base in his professional career, so there would be quite a learning curve. One the A's may be willing to endure, given that he is young, they aren't exactly expected to compete for a championship this season, and it would give Soderstrom and Kurtz regular everyday at-bats, which would presumably make the team better.

The potential for a bit of a rotation at third, in the outfield, first base, and at DH were all mentioned by A's manager Mark Kotsay prior to Sunday's game when asked about how both players would fit on the roster.

"...there's opportunity for a rotation to happen between an outfield position, that DH position, and first base position. Possibly using third base is something we could do. There's a ton of options."

One of Soderstrom or Kurtz could DH every once in a while, with Rooker having the ability to play either corner outfield spot at an average level. Although, the DH role is very much Rooker's, and the A's may not be interested in moving him out of that role on a consistent basis.

The A's have been searching for a long-term answer at third base for some time, with A's GM David Forst noting it was a position they wanted to improve at in the offseason. The consensus plan seemed to be to give Max Muncy reps at third base in the minors, but that was before Zack Gelof's injury to start the season.

Muncy has flashed the leather a few times at second and shown good defensive instincts there, his bat just needs to get going, but that will come with time. Muncy also booted a couple of balls during the Mets series this weekend, which could bring his short-term viability on the roster into question when Gelof returns.

The initial plan when Kurtz arrives may not be to have Soderstrom play third base, given that it's a brand new position that gets a decent amount of action, but it could become an option for the club as more of a long-term solution if he gets a look there.