Athletics' offense is thriving despite an early-season slump from a big bopper
The Athletics are leading the AL West with a 17-14 record despite a slow start from power hitter Brent Rooker, who has struggled offensively and spent time on the 10-day IL with a right oblique strain. Their offense has been supported by strong performances from Shea Langeliers, Tyler Soderstrom, and Nick Kurtz. With solid pitching and a resurgent lineup, the team is positioned for potential success if Rooker regains his form.
- ▪The Athletics have a 17-14 record and lead the AL West by 1.5 games over the Seattle Mariners.
- ▪Shea Langeliers leads the team with a .328 batting average and eight home runs, while Tyler Soderstrom has 18 RBIs and Nick Kurtz has a .424 on-base percentage.
- ▪Brent Rooker is off to a slow start, batting .080 with no extra-base hits outside of a single two-homer game, and missed two weeks due to a right oblique strain.
- ▪Bleacher Report's Kerry Miller labeled Rooker the A's 'least valuable player' due to his underperformance.
- ▪If Rooker recovers his power-hitting form, the Athletics could become a stronger contender this season.
Opening excerpt (first ~120 words) tap to expand
{"@context":"http://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","mainEntityOfPage":"https://sports.yahoo.com/articles/athletics-offense-thriving-despite-early-223749856.html","headline":"Athletics' offense is thriving despite an early-season slump from a big bopper","datePublished":"2026-05-01T22:37:49.000Z","dateModified":"2026-05-01T22:37:49.000Z","keywords":["Seattle Mariners","Brent Rooker","Aaron Civale","Tyler Soderstrom","Shea Langeliers","Athletics","Nick Kurtz","Michael Wacha","Jeffrey Springs"],"description":"Can the two-time All-Star figure it out?","publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Yahoo…
Excerpt limited to ~120 words for fair-use compliance. The full article is at Yahoo Sports.