The A’s May Already Have Their 2026 Infield Answer in Darell Hernaiz

After the season ended, Athletics on SI asked if there was a player that wasn't one of the top-end guys that stood out to both manager Mark Kotsay, and GM David Forst over the course of the season that they're looking forward to seeing on the roster in 2026.

David Forst jumped right in and said Hernaiz. "I thought [he] was a guy that made as big of an adjustment as anybody from 2024 to this year. He got his opportunity, frankly, only because Jacob [Wilson] got hurt and we knew what Darell was capable of doing at shortstop.

"I thought when he came up, played outstanding defense at all three spots, made an adjustment to his swing to get the ball off the ground a little more that we talked to him about last offseason. I was really impressed with the quality of at-bats that Darell gave us."

Kotsay echoed some of those points while also heaping some praise on Harris. "I think Darell. He's one that has obviously grown the most. I think Brett Harris towards the end, thought his at-bats got better, in terms of driving the baseball. There's some things that he can work on offensively that I'll be excited to see him show back up and hopefully show the ability to slug.

"Obviously we saw him at third base. He's really, really good at third base."

The A's skipper also shouted out the efforts of Denzel Clarke and Colby Thomas, who both made strides at the plate in their own right.

Hernaiz Year Over Year

Forst mentioned that Hernaiz was getting the ball off the ground more often, but his average launch angle was actually a bit lower than it had been in 2024, going from 10.8 degrees to 6.3. That's on the whole, however. He did finish with slightly more doubles, home runs and triples than he'd racked up the previous year, too.

Hernaiz ended up batting .231 (.259 expected BA) with a .292 on-base, and his biggest gain was in his strikeout rate, which went from 20% down to 12.2% while his walk rate went up slightly from 8.1 to 8.6%.

Still just 24, he excelled defensively at shortstop, putting up a +4 Outs Above Average, while he was slightly below average at second (-2) and third (-1). With his offensive profile, the optimal position for him to handle would be second base, and given that he can play excellent defense at short, second should be manageable with more reps during the offseason.

That would leave the A's to either roll with Harris or Muncy at third if they don't look outside of the organization. They also have Tommy White down in the minors that could become a factor as early as 2027.

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