Fantasy News

• Athletics' Tyler Soderstrom: Mixed bag thus far in Vegas

  Rotowire Apr 9, 2024

  Soderstrom owns a .148 average and .233 on-base percentage across his first 30 plate appearances with Triple-A Las Vegas, but he sports an impressive .519 slugging percentage in that sample as well. The final component of Soderstrom's slash line is the byproduct of having laced all four of his hits thus far for extra bases in the form of a double and three home runs. The early power is certainly encouraging, and Soderstrom's minuscule .063 BABIP over the small sample implies he's run into some bad luck when putting the ball in play early this minor-league season. Soderstrom's numbers should therefore be due for some improvement, considering this is the third consecutive year he'll have spent time at the Triple-A Level after logging 373 plate appearances with the Aviators over the last two minor-league campaigns.

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• Athletics' Tyler Soderstrom: Optioned to Triple-A

  Rotowire Mar 17, 2024

  The Athletics optioned Soderstrom to Triple-A Las Vegas on Sunday. Soderstrom got off to a slow start in spring training, and the struggles continued. The catcher posted a .370 OPS across 34 plate appearances in 14 games. At Triple-A Las Vegas in 2023, the 22-year-old had a .833 OPS. This move points to Carlos Perez opening the season as the backup catcher for Oakland.

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• Athletics' Tyler Soderstrom: Slow start to spring

  Rotowire Mar 4, 2024

  Soderstrom, who dealt with an illness earlier in spring training, is 1-for-8 with a double, an RBI, a walk and a run over his first four exhibitions. The promising prospect slashed just .160/.232/.240 across 45 games in his first taste of the big leagues last season, but Martin Gallegos of MLB.com reports that Soderstrom is set to have multiple paths to playing time this coming season. Soderstrom will be part of a left-right platoon at catcher with Shea Langeliers, but he'll also see time at first base and designated hitter. Now that he seems to be back to full health, manager Mark Kotsay is optimistic about the improvement he believes the 2020 first-round pick is capable of. "From last year to this year, the body language is better," Kotsay said. "The intensity is better. I think the focus is better. Biggest positive coming out of a negative from last season in terms of the performance side is that he's recognizing things that may help him be successful this coming season."

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• Athletics' Tyler Soderstrom: Recalled from Las Vegas

  Rotowire Sep 1, 2023

  Oakland recalled Soderstrom from Triple-A Las Vegas on Friday. Soderstrom gives the Athletics a third option at catcher as they expand their roster from 26 to 28. The 24-year-old entered the 2023 campaign as a consensus top-100 prospect but has slashed just .165/.237/.247 through his first 27 major-league games.

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• Athletics' Tyler Soderstrom: Riding pine Wednesday

  Rotowire Aug 16, 2023

  Soderstrom is out of the lineup for Wednesday's game against the Cardinals. Even after going 1-for-4 in Tuesday's 6-2 win, Soderstrom is still sitting on a .160 batting average through his first 83 plate appearances in the big leagues. Even though the 21-year-old has struggled with the jump from Triple-A Las Vegas to the majors, the Athletics don't yet seem ready to pull the plug on Soderstrom as a near-everyday player at either designated hitter, catcher or first base. He had started each of the last five games and 10 of the previous 11 contests.

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• Athletics' Tyler Soderstrom: Sitting against lefty

  Rotowire Aug 9, 2023

  Soderstrom is out of the lineup for Wednesday's game against the Rangers. The lefty-hitting Soderstrom will ride the bench for the series finale while the Rangers bring southpaw Jordan Montgomery to the hill. With Soderstrom sitting out, Shea Langeliers will start at catcher and Jordan Diaz will serve as Oakland's designated hitter.

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• Athletics' Tyler Soderstrom: Belts first big-league homer

  Rotowire Aug 4, 2023

  Soderstrom went 1-for-3 with a solo home run Thursday in a loss to the Dodgers. Though his eighth-inning solo shot didn't have much of an impact on the final score, it was certainly a big moment for Soderstrom since it was the first homer of his major-league career. In fact, it was the first extra-base hit of any sort for the rookie, who came into the contest with just eight singles over 47 plate appearances. Soderstrom has seen his playing time fluctuate but appears to be getting into a groove at the plate, as he's batting .300 (6-for-20) over his past six games.

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• Athletics' Tyler Soderstrom: Sitting Wednesday

  Rotowire Aug 2, 2023

  Soderstrom is out of the lineup for Wednesday's game against the Dodgers. Soderstrom has a .467 OPS in his first 13 big-league contests and will head to the bench Wednesday after he started the previous three games. Shea Langeliers will work behind the plate while Brent Rooker serves as the designated hitter.

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• Athletics' Tyler Soderstrom: Gets Tuesday off

  Rotowire Jul 18, 2023

  Soderstrom is not in the starting lineup Tuesday against Boston. Soderstrom will take a seat after he started the first four games following the All-Star break, going 3-for-13 while drawing two walks and striking out three times. Jordan Diaz will draw the start at designated hitter and bat third versus the Red Sox.

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• Athletics' Tyler Soderstrom: Draws walk in big-league debut

  Rotowire Jul 15, 2023

  Soderstrom, whose contract was selected from Triple-A Las Vegas earlier in the day, went 0-for-3 with a walk in his big-league debut Friday against the Twins. Soderstrom didn't slot in at either catcher or first base, instead filling the designated hitter role in his big-league debut. The 21-year-old is expected to provide some solid power numbers in time, and he should be in line for regular opportunities given his ability to fill up to three positions.

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• Athletics' Tyler Soderstrom: New era begins

  Rotowire Jul 14, 2023

  Soderstrom's contract was selected from Triple-A Las Vegas ahead of Friday's game against the Twins. Soderstrom is as good of a candidate as any to be the face of the Athletics franchise going forward. The 21-year-old lefty hitter has huge raw power and could retain catcher eligibility for several years while playing almost every day at a combination of catcher, first base and designated hitter. Soderstrom, who was selected with the 26th overall pick in the 2020 Draft, hit .254 with 20 home runs and 59 RBI in 69 games at Triple-A. There could be some initial growing pains with strikeouts and a low batting average, but Soderstrom has a chance to contribute positively in the four non-speed roto categories during his prime years.

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• Athletics' Tyler Soderstrom: On power surge in Vegas

  Rotowire Jun 10, 2023

  Soderstrom has three home runs in his last five games for Triple-A Las Vegas and carries an .835 OPS over 221 plate appearances for the Aviators. Soderstrom continues to put together a convincing case for a promotion during his most extensive stint at the Triple-A level yet. The promising 21-year-old has played slightly more at catcher (27 games) than first base (20 games), and it's the latter where Soderstrom is believed to have a clearer path to playing time at the big-league level. However, rookie Ryan Noda has made a solid case for himself at the position with the Athletics thus far by generating an outstanding .410 on-base percentage and impressive .462 slugging percentage over his first 60 big-league games.

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• Athletics' Tyler Soderstrom: Majority of starts at catcher

  Rotowire Apr 18, 2023

  Soderstrom has played more games at catcher (eight) than first base (three) with Triple-A Las Vegas. He has been roughly league average (97 wRC+) in the early going, as a .267/.346/.511 slash line is par for the course in the hitter-friendly Pacific Coast League. However, the fact the A's have continued to stress his development behind the dish is noteworthy, as most evaluators view him as the team's first baseman of the future.

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• Athletics' Tyler Soderstrom: Fully healthy for 2022

  Rotowire Feb 21, 2022

  Soderstrom reported to minor-league spring training at full health after he was sidelined for the final two months of the 2021 season plus the Arizona Fall League with an oblique strain, Melissa Lockard of The Athletic reports. The injury spelled an early end to an impressive professional debut season for the 20-year-old catcher, who was a 2020 first-round selection. He saw action in 54 games for Low-A Stockton, slashing .306/.390/.568 with 33 extra-base hits and a 10.8 percent walk rate across 254 plate appearances. Soderstrom profiles as one of the top backstop prospects in all of baseball, but his bat remains firmly ahead of his glove at this stage of his development, making it uncertain whether he'll stick behind the plate long term. He's expected to begin the 2022 campaign at High-A Lansing.

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• Athletics' Tyler Soderstrom: On IL with back issue

  Rotowire Aug 17, 2021

  Soderstrom was placed on the 7-day injured list at Low-A Stockton on Tuesday because of a back issue, Athletics Farm reports. Soderstrom hasn't played since July 23 due to a collarbone injury, and it now sounds like he's also hampered by some sort of back problem. The severity of the latest issue isn't clear, so it's not known how long the Athletics expect their top prospect to be on the shelf. The backstop has slashed .306/.390/.568 with 12 homers and 49 RBI across 222 at-bats with Stockton this season.

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• Athletics' Tyler Soderstrom: Solid in early opportunities

  Rotowire Mar 13, 2021

  Soderstrom is 2-for-5 with two doubles and an RBI over his first six Cactus League games. The 26th overall pick of the 2020 first-year player draft, Soderstrom lost out on his first opportunity for extended professional development with the cancellation of the 2020 minor-league season. The 19-year-old is gaining from the experience of being around the big-league club this spring, however, and he hasn't looked out of place over the small sample of at-bats thus far. Soderstrom is thought to have a bright future at catcher and will likely start the 2021 season at either the rookie or Low-A level.

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• Athletics' Tyler Soderstrom: Gets big-league spring invite

  Rotowire Jan 25, 2021

  The Athletics announced Monday that Soderstrom will report to big-league spring training as a non-roster invitee. After being selected in the first round of the 2020 first-year player draft, Soderstrom didn't get the chance to make his debut in affiliated ball due to the cancellation of the minor-league season. The assignment to major-league spring training will thus give the Athletics a greater opportunity to evaluate Soderstrom against higher-level competition, even though he won't be a serious candidate to break camp with the big club. Look for the 19-year-old backstop to make his professional debut at the rookie-ball level.

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