Here’s why Soderstrom will start 2024 at Triple-A

This story was excerpted from Martín Gallegos’ A's Beat newsletter. To read the full newsletter, click here. And subscribe to get it regularly in your inbox.

MESA, Ariz. -- The A’s believe that Tyler Soderstrom will emerge as a star at the Major League level. To start the 2024 season, however, he will not be part of their big league team.

Soderstrom stood out among Sunday’s group of roster cuts. The former A’s No. 1 prospect was optioned to Triple-A Las Vegas, ending the possibility of him opening the season as the backup catcher to starter Shea Langeliers.

“Tyler’s last season was challenging enough for him,” A’s manager Mark Kotsay said. “He came to Spring Training in great shape, with a great attitude and a change in work ethic -- all things we wanted to see from him. The message I gave him was, ‘You’re a No. 1 guy. You’ve just got to go down and prove that on a daily basis.’”

The offensive struggles that Soderstrom encountered in his first taste of big league action last season -- when he hit .160 with a .472 OPS and 43 strikeouts in 45 games -- seemingly carried over into Spring Training. After a slow start to camp because of a stomach illness, the 22-year-old backstop hit .121 (4-for-33) with eight strikeouts in 15 Cactus League games.

Coupled with the unlikelihood of regular playing time in the Majors due to the presence of Langeliers at catcher and Ryan Noda at first base, the A’s felt it would be best for Soderstrom to get regular at-bats in the Minors, where he holds an .857 OPS in three seasons.

“Defensively, the improvements he’s made over the last two years back there have made him into a No. 1-type catcher,” Kotsay said. “The offensive side, with the bat, controlling the strike zone is probably his biggest thing. When he swings at good pitches, he does damage. I think shrinking the zone for him is a big goal and something we’ll pay attention to when he’s in Vegas this year.”

With Soderstrom out of the picture, the battle for the backup catcher job is down to a pair of non-roster invitees in Carlos Pérez and Kyle McCann.

Pérez was the backup to Langeliers for most of last season, and he brings valuable experience as a 33-year-old veteran who also carries influence inside the clubhouse as a resource for the younger Latino players on the team. McCann, a fourth-round pick by the A’s in the 2019 MLB Draft who has been knocking on the door of the big leagues for a while, performed well at Triple-A last season, hitting .270 with an .825 OPS, 17 home runs, 17 doubles and 57 RBIs in 97 games.

“They’re both in the mix,” Kotsay said. “I don’t think either of them has really separated themselves this spring. Carlos was our backup last year and did a great job. But it’s great to see a young guy like Kyle continuing to grow and make improvements to challenge for that opportunity.”

Max Muncy, Oakland’s No. 8 prospect, was another notable cut. While he was ticketed to begin the season in the Minors all along, Muncy did get some valuable experience by playing in 16 Cactus League games and testing himself against Major League talent.

“Super talented,” Kotsay said of Muncy. “He has all the physical tools. Now, it’s just that maturation process of being able to slow the game down, both offensively and defensively. From an offensive side, when he learns to be a complete hitter, he’s going to take off.”

A’s No. 21 prospect Max Schuemann, who was also part of the latest roster cuts, left arguably the strongest impression of the bunch. In addition to showing off his capabilities as a super-utility man by playing all around the infield and outfield this spring, Schuemann more than held his own at the plate in 16 Cactus League games, hitting .310 (9-for-29) with an .814 OPS.

“He’s definitely earned my trust,” Kotsay said of Schuemann. “I told him [that] in our conversation. When you have a manager’s trust, if he does have an opportunity to get called up, that will be key. Offensively, he’s not going to wow you or jump out; he’s going to take good at-bats. I call those types of players ‘baseball players.’ He’s got a glove for every position and he’s good at pretty much all of them.”