Which A's Prospect Will Debut First in 2026?

The A's selected Gage Jump back in 2024 with the 73rd overall selection. The southpaw joined the A's organization, and was even ranked the top A's prospect this summer before the team acquired Leo De Vries in the Mason Miller deal and drafted Jamie Arnold.

While the highest level Jump has played at thus far is Double-A, he was one of the best starters on that squad and posted a 3.64 ERA in 20 appearances, 19 of them being starts. Notably, Jump recorded 86 strikeouts to just 29 walks in over 81 innings pitched with the RockHounds.

A's GM David Forst said earlier this winter that he expects guys like Jump to begin the year in Triple-A in 2026, which would make him one call away from The Show. Last season, the A's rotation dealt with a bunch of injuries, so if he can pitch well in Vegas, and as the team's third-ranked prospect, he could be one of the first prospects to make their MLB Debuts for the team next season.

If the team were to call him up, he'd join the young and developing Luis Morales and Jacob Lopez in the rotation, unless the team views him as a possible lefty for the bullpen in the short-term. It will more than likely depend on how the team is looking not only performance-wise, but injuries could also impact his arrival and his role on the team in 2026.

Daniel Susac

Daniel Susac is currently ranked just outside the A's top 10 prospects, sitting at number 11. He was selected by the team with their first round selection in 2022, and just wrapped up his first season of Triple-A baseball.

The 24-year-old catcher has a 60-grade arm and a 55-grade hit tool that he's working with, and there might just be one reason his call-up gets delayed. The team currently has Silver Slugger nominee Shea Langeliers at the catcher position, and Susac has little professional experience at any position besides catcher, and only appeared aa a backstop in 2025.

His good arm and hitting were on display this season at Triple-A, as he posted an .832 OPS with 18 home runs in 360 at-bats this season. If Shea Langeliers were to go down with an injury, or the A's are in need of a catcher, there's a good chance they'd call up their former first-round selection to get some big league at-bats.

One thing that is helping him over some of the other high-ranked prospects on this list is that he's had a full season of Triple-A experience, and the other guys have yet to even reach that level. However, it's a little tough finding a spot for Susac on the roster without some injury causing him to be called up. That could also lead to him being a trade piece this winter.

Tommy White

Another prospect that hasn't reached Triple-A yet, but Tommy White has been mashing in the Arizona Fall League, and has been nonstop hitting at every level he plays in. The A's went overslot and took him in the second round in 2024 out of LSU.

His 60-grade power has been on display this fall with the Mesa Solar Sox, as well as in his time with the A's Double-A squad over the summer. Although he only posted a .741 OPS in Double-A, he batted .311 and was able to show more contact than we usually see from him.

The only guy the A's drafted before him in 2024 was Nick Kurtz, and he's in line to win the Rookie of the Year award, and adding Tommy White to the same infield as him would be dangerous for other teams to face. The A's could use White at third base at some point this season if things don't work out with Brett Harris, Darell Hernaiz, or Max Muncy, who are the current options.

Although White has yet to reach Triple-A, the team is getting extra looks at him this fall, and a good spring could also earn him that Triple-A promotion. If he continues to hit as he has, we could very well see 'Tommy Tanks' in the show within the first few months of the season.

Honarable Mentions

A's on SI asked the A's community about their thoughts on who could possibly be the first prospect to debut for the team in 2026, and one of the most common answers was Jamie Arnold, the A's first-round pick this past summer. He currently sits as the club's second-ranked prospect, behind De Vries.

The one reason Arnold will likely not be the first to debut is the simple fact that he has yet to play at any level of professional ball following being drafted. This means there's a shot he starts at Low-A, and would have to work his way up the levels before we see him in the show. It's also a little more time consuming for pitchers to get promoted, since they pitch once or twice a week.

Henry Bolte could also debut first, as he's coming off an impressive 2025 campaign in Triple-A, however, the A's have a packed outfield, and it's hard to imagine him coming up in the first half of the 2025 season with the way the roster is currently constructed.

The A's have a ton of new talent in their farm system, and it'll be interesting to see how the off-season goes. It will also be interesting to see how these prospects do in Spring Training so we can get a look at how long it might be until we see them playing in the big leagues.