Prior to today’s game with the Rangers, the Athletics announced that Tyler Soderstrom has been placed (retroactive to August 15) on the 10-day injured list due to a left hip impingement. Infielder Darell Hernaiz was called up from Triple-A in the corresponding move.
This is now the second time in the last two months that Soderstrom has been sidelined by this same hip injury, as his previous IL stint on June 28 kept the left fielder out of action for just the minimum 10 days. A’s manager Mark Kotsay told MLB.com’s Martin Gallegos and other reporters that Soderstrom had still been dealing with lingering hip discomfort, and “he feels like it’s impacting his performance. He wants to make the decision to go see the specialist. At this point, that’s what we’re going to do for him.”
Monday’s visit to that hip specialist will shed more light on Soderstrom’s status. Kotsay admitted “there is a possibility” Soderstrom might be out for the rest of the season, as even if the injury isn’t overly serious, the A’s are at the bottom of the standings and have no reason to rush Soderstrom back for meaningless games.
If this is indeed it for Soderstrom’s 2026 campaign, he’ll conclude his year with 19 home runs and a .245/.338/.472 slash line over 453 plate appearances, which translates to a 122 wRC+. It’s not far off the 125 wRC+ and .276/.346/.474 slash line Soderstrom posted in 624 PA in 2025, and the drop in battling average could be explained by decreased batted-ball luck (.327 BABIP in 2025, .272 BABIP this year). Soderstrom improved his walk and strikeout rates from 2025, though made less hard contact and has more distinct home/away splits after hitting pretty evenly both on the road and at Sutter Health Park in 2025.
It’s been a pretty solid beginning to the seven-year, $86MM extension that Soderstrom signed back in January, though his hip problems and the Athletics’ dismal play in the last two months have brought 2026 to a sour end. The A’s were 36-36 on June 15 but have since gone only 12-39 in their last 51 games, leaving them with a league-worst 48-75 record entering today’s action.
As Kotsay noted, the A’s have been crushed by injuries in recent weeks, as the team currently has 13 players on its injured list. The absences include the Athletics’ four best hitters from 2025 — Soderstrom, Nick Kurtz, Shea Langeliers, and Brent Rooker.
