Athletics lineup cracks the door wide open for top prospect to break through

The Athletics might not be a postseason team quite yet, but they're building a very nice core. Brent Rooker finished in the top 10 in the AL MVP balloting last season. Lawrence Butler broke out in the second half of last season and earned a hefty extension as a result. Tyler Soderstrom looks like a budding star with how well he has played this season thus far.

Perhaps the most exciting player in their organization, though, is Nick Kurtz, the No. 4 overall pick in the 2024 MLB Draft and their No. 1 prospect according to MLB Pipeline. The only issue, though, is that the A's seemingly had nowhere to play him at the MLB level.

Well, if their lineup for Saturday's game against the New York Mets is any indication, there might be a spot for Kurtz to fill in sooner rather than later.

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Athletics crack door open for Nick Kurtz's MLB arrival with latest lineup

This A's lineup is extremely interesting. Notably, Brent Rooker, the team's everyday designated hitter, is playing right field. Rooker did come up as an outfielder, but his defensive struggles have forced him into the DH role. He played just 14 games all of last season in the field, a stark contrast from his 131 games as a DH. All 14 of his appearances this season had come as a DH prior to Saturday.

Now, the A's almost certainly are using him in the field today partly to keep Shea Langeliers, a noted Met-killer, in the lineup, but if they're willing to use Rooker in the field for this game, they might be willing to do so more often. If that's the case, that opens the door for Kurtz's arrival.

Kurtz can slot in either at first base or DH with Soderstrom playing the other position. Rooker and Butler can play the corners. This might not be the best defensive team in the world, but they'd crush baseballs.

Kurtz is far from experienced in professional baseball having been a recent draftee, but he looks like an MLB-caliber slugger already. In his 12 games at the Triple-A level this season, Kurtz has slashed .385/.418/.846 with six home runs and 20 RBI. Triple-A is not the major leagues, obviously, but he had a .961 OPS in his 23 spring training at-bats as well.

The top of the A's regular lineup looks extremely promising, and adding a bat with Kurtz's upside would make it that much more formidable. The A's would almost certainly like to give Kurtz more seasoning before promoting him to the majors, but assuming he continues to rake, they've created a path for him to arrive sooner than A's fans might've thought.