Led by slugger Nick Kurtz, the Athletics won five of their six games over the last week. Then, they pulled the trigger on a huge deal to acquire star prospect Leo De Vries and three pitching prospects in exchange for Mason Miller and JP Sears.
Results
FRI: ATH 15, HOU 3
It’s probably fair to just call this one the “Nick Kurtz Game”. Simply put, the rookie had one of the greatest offensive games…ever. He went 6/6 with four home runs and tied the MLB record with 19 total bases. Shea Langeliers and Tyler Soderstrom also went deep. Along with the early run support, Jeffrey Springs was able to keep the Astros at bay. He allowed two runs, both coming on a Zack Short home run in the 5th inning. Ben Bowden made his return to the big leagues for the first time since 2021. He allowed an RBI double to Yainer Diaz in the 9th.
SAT: ATH 5, HOU 1
The Athletics secured at least a series win by taking the Saturday showdown, 5-1. Nick Kurtz underwhelmed (kidding) with only two hits and no RBIs after his absurd Friday night showing. Brent Rooker, Shea Langeliers, and Lawrence Butler provided the thump in this game. Rooker had an RBI double in the 1st inning and Langeliers hit a solo homer in the 6th. After Houston trimmed the lead to 2-1, Butler took Hector Neris deep to give the A’s some wiggle room. Sean Newcomb and Mason Miller pitched the final three innings, allowing zero runs or hits and striking out five batters.
SUN: ATH 7, HOU 1
The Athletics completed the mop (a term coined by Baseball Bar-B-Cast for a four-game series sweep) of the Astros. Miguel Andujar and Shea Langeliers hit home runs in the 1st inning. Gio Urshela, Colby Thomas, Max Schuemann, and Luis Urias also knocked in runs. For Thomas, it was his first career RBI. On the bump, J. T. Ginn went six innings and allowed just three hits, zero runs, and struck out four.
MON: SEA 3, ATH 1
The A’s could not carry their momentum from the Houston series into their opener vs. Seattle. JP Sears surrendered a pair of runs in 4.1 innings of work. He ran his pitch count up to 96 with three walks to go with five hits allowed. Offensively, the team struggled to find success against Luis Castillo. The Mariners’ starter went seven innings and only allowed one run on a RBI fielder’s choice for Brent Rooker. Miguel Andujar singled to start the 9th inning, but that potential rally was extinguished by a double play. Max Schuemann was struck out to end the game and the winning streak.
TUE: ATH 6, SEA 1
The A’s were fueled by a big 3rd inning in their win on Tuesday. Brent Rooker hit a three-run home run and Miguel Andujar added an RBI double. Seattle responded with one run in the 4th. But, Shea Langeliers went deep the following inning to get the lead back to four runs. Andujar notched another RBI double to complete the scoring. Luis Severino picked up the win going five innings with six Ks, five hits, and one run allowed. Darell Hernaiz picked up a hit in his first MLB game in 2025 as he replaced the IL-bound Jacob Wilson.
WED: ATH 5, SEA 4
Miguel Andujar helped the Athletics secure back-to-back series wins. He took Bryan Woo deep in the 4th and 7th innings. Brent Rooker and Darell Hernaiz also homered against Woo, and Tyler Soderstrom knocked in an RBI double. Jeffrey Springs threw six innings and only allowed one run (a Julio Rodriguez solo homer in the 1st). Justin Sterner registered a hold, but he did give up two runs in the 7th inning. Jack Perkins closed the game out, pitching the 8th and 9th innings. The lone hit he allowed was a Randy Arozarena HR in the 9th, but he got groundouts from Josh Naylor and Jorge Polanco to end it.
What Else?
- The A’s pulled off a massive blockbuster ahead of the trade deadline yesterday. They traded away Star closer Mason Miller and JP Sears to San Diego and received shortstop Leodalis De Vries, MLB Pipeline’s #3 overall prospect, and three pitching prospects (Braden Nett, Henry Baez, and Eduarniel Nunez). While the loss of Miller, and to a lesser degree a backend rotation starter in Sears, will be felt, this is lauded as a massive success for the Athletics.
- De Vries was the #1 ranked international free agent signing in 2024. The 18-year-old had a .357 OBP with eight home runs in High-A at the time of the trade. He led off in his Lansing debut last night and picked up a hit in his second at-bat. Nett, San Diego’s #3 prospect, has a 3.79 ERA with 209 Ks in 182.2 career MiLB innings and was pitching for Double-A San Antonio. He will continue in Double-A as he’s been assigned to Midland. Baez, SD’s #13 prospect, was also in Double-A but will begin his journey in the A’s organization with Triple-A Las Vegas. The 22-year-old RHP has a 1.96 ERA in 20 starts in 2025. Older than the other players included, Nunez made his MLB debut (four total MLB appearances) in early July. In AA/AAA this season, the 26-year-old reliever has a 2.31 ERA and 56 Ks in 35 innings. He will join Baez in Vegas.
- In a less notable swap, Miguel Andujar was traded to the Cincinnati Reds in exchange for pitching prospect Kenya Huggins. Andujar is a rental for the Reds and his departure will open up more playing time for younger options on the A’s down the stretch. A 4th round pick in 2022, Huggins has missed significant time due to Tommy John surgery and was just promoted from Low-A to High-A on 7/23. The 22-year-old righty has a career MiLB ERA is 3.79 in 37 games (107 innings). He’s been assigned to Lansing.
- After the deadline, MLB Pipeline has updated their Top 30 team prospect rankings. The new arrivals are ranked as follows: De Vries #1, Nett #5, Baez #9, Nunez #17, and Huggins #27.
- Understandably, Nick Kurtz was named the American League Player of the Week again. With his video game numbers against the Astros, the rookie slugger earned that honor for the second straight week. In the month of July, he slashed .395/.480/.953 (an absurd OPS of 1.433) and hit 11 home runs. An American League Player of the Month award for July is likely heading in Kurtz’s direction.
- Jacob Wilson was placed on the 10-day injured list with a fractured left forearm. To replace him on the roster, Darrel Hernaiz was called up from Triple-A. Per MLB.com, manager Mark Kotsay didn’t want to put a timeframe on Wilson’s return but was optimistic he would be back this season.
- According to Francys Romero, Luis Morales will be getting called up to the MLB roster ahead of tonight’s game. His last nine appearances for Las Vegas came out of the bullpen, which is where he will likely slot in for the A’s. He is the team’s #3 prospect and has 244 Ks in 214.1 career MiLB innings.
- Speaking of the bullpen, Elvis Alvarado looks to be establishing himself as a quality relief arm at Kotsay’s disposal. Claimed off of waivers in January, he’s made 15 appearances in the majors this season. The 26-year-old was electric in July with a 1.50 ERA in ten appearances. He struck out 16 batters in 12 innings.
- Shea Langeliers was activated from the injury list on 6/30 after an oblique strain. He homered that day and had three RBIs. That June finale was a springboard into a hot month of July for the 27-year-old catcher. In his 22 games played in July, he had a .952 OPS and hit seven home runs. In his third full MLB season, we may be seeing the 2019 9th overall selection taking a major leap forward in his development.
- Chalk up the Jose Leclerc offseason signing as an absolute dud for the Athletics. He put up a 6.00 ERA in 10 games before a lat strain landed him on the injured list. He was never able to advance to a rehab assignment and has gone the shoulder surgery path. Now, his season is officially over and he will return to free agency.
- As we’ve moved into August, here are the statistical rankings for the A’s in July: T-1st in home runs, 8th in runs, T-9th in hits, 10th-best ERA, and 2nd-fewest hits allowed.
System Spotlight
Colby Halter: Drafted in 2023, he played in the Arizona Complex League for about a dozen games before moving up to Lansing in the same year he was drafted. Last season for the Lugnuts, he had a .733 OPS and 12 steals. The 23-year-old 2B has taken a big leap in 2025 for Double-A Midland. In 89 games, he already has 22 steals. In July, he had a .380 OBP and was tied for the team-high with 22 hits.
Mitch Dallas: While his overall stats on the season aren’t eye-catching (3.57 ERA in 40.1 innings), Dallas was excellent out of the Midland bullpen in July. Of his nine appearances last month, eight of them were scoreless outings. He pitched to a 1.46 ERA in July and the 2022 8th round pick could work his way towards a promotion down the stretch.
Cole Miller: A 4th round selection in 2023, Miller’s 2024 season was wiped out by Tommy John surgery. He made four appearances in the Arizona Complex League before joining Low-A Stockton this season. In his five outings with the Ports, he has a 2.04 ERA.
What’s Next?
The Athletics will welcome the new-look Arizona Diamondbacks to Sutter Health Park this weekend. The D-Backs sold ahead of the deadline, trading away the likes of Josh Naylor, Merrill Kelly, and Eugenio Suarez. Then, the A’s travel to the nation’s capital to face the Washington Nationals.
(Top photo of Mason Miller, Courtesy: Athletics)
