Between Kurtz on the 60-Day IL and De Vries Out Eight Months, the A's Rebuild Just Lost Its Safety Net

The Athletics' 2026 season was always going to be judged less on the standings than on whether the young core took a step forward. With 11 games left and a 61-90 record, the answer was trending positive in spots — a .251 team average, 162 home runs, and a 6-4 stretch over the club's last ten games despite a 19-1 shellacking by Seattle on Sept. 13.

Then came the news that reframes everything for 2027.

Top prospects, top of the injury report

Leo De Vries and Jamie Arnold began the year as the organization's No. 1 and No. 2 prospects. Both are now shelved indefinitely. De Vries, a 19-year-old infielder, underwent an anterior labrum repair on his right shoulder — a procedure with an eight-month recovery timeline that likely puts Opening Day 2027 in doubt. Arnold, a pitcher, was struck in the face by a line drive and suffered facial fractures, though early reports indicate he escaped more serious injury.

That's the farm system. The major league roster hasn't fared much better.

The 60-day IL is doing heavy lifting

First baseman Nick Kurtz, designated hitter Brent Rooker, and infielder Jacob Wilson are all on the 60-day injured list. Tyler Soderstrom sits on the 10-day. Pitching depth is stretched thin as well, with Luis Severino, Gunnar Hoglund, J.T. Ginn, and Gage Jump among those unavailable.

Kurtz's absence is the most painful. In 99 games the rookie posted a .256/.396/.483 slash line with 21 home runs, 69 RBI, and an .879 OPS — the kind of on-base-and-power combo this lineup was built around. Losing him, Rooker, and Wilson strips the middle of the order at once.

What's left is still watchable — and still flawed

Shea Langeliers returned from the IL and has swung a hot bat in limited action, running his season line to .266 with 23 homers and an .828 OPS. Lawrence Butler (.702 OPS) and Soderstrom (.810 OPS in 109 games) have provided some support. The offense, remarkably, has held up.

The pitching has not. Oakland carries a 5.39 team ERA, a 1.50 WHIP, and has served up 189 home runs. The staff walks 4.29 batters per nine innings and strikes out 8.95 — a combination that explains a minus-204 run differential. The home/road split is stark: a 5.84 ERA and 19-28 record at Sutter Health Park, against a 3.87 ERA and 22-22 mark on the road.

Tuesday's trip to Tropicana Field offers another data point. The A's are 0-3 on turf this season, outscored 16-11, and draw a Rays club sitting at 91-59. The last ten games being a .500-ish stretch says something about resilience; the 19-run blowout says something about the floor.

The front office question looms over all of it

The general manager search continues in the background. James Click, former Nationals president of baseball operations Mike Rizzo, and longtime A's assistant GM Billy Owens have all interviewed since David Forst's departure. Whoever takes the job inherits a talented-but-fragile young core, a rotation in need of a rebuild of its own, and a development pipeline now waiting on two of its best arms and bats to heal.

For a franchise playing out of a Triple-A park and counting down to Las Vegas, 2027 was supposed to be the year the window reopened. This week's injury report is a reminder of how narrow that window can get.