A's are atop AL West, but have struggled to deliver fantasy baseball value — will that change?

— Tyler Soderstrom was a part-time catcher not long ago, but that equipment has been shelved for good. The Athletics view Soderstrom as a full-time outfielder this year, and it’s going to take some time (he currently has a negative defensive grade). He’s off to a sluggish start (OPS drop of 128 points), though his walk and strikeout rates have both improved. He’s also managed to make 18 RBI from a .215 average and just three homers. He still feels like a reliable player to invest in for fantasy purposes.

— I suspected this would be a reveal season for outfielder Lawrence Butler, who was a star in 2024 (131 OPS+) and a disappointment last year (91 OPS+). This year, it’s all fallen apart — a .186/.263/.279 start. His batting average has been comically unlucky (.253 expected BA, well above the .186 number) but that’s also tied to a paltry .354 expected slugging percentage. Butler is currently rostered in 55% of Yahoo leagues (he does have two homers and four steals), but perhaps that number is too optimistic.

— I was willing to buy stock on shortstop Jacob Wilson after a solid rookie year (.311 average, 13 homers). What if he added a little more power? His springtime ADP of 164 felt like a floor price.

Alas, the pop remains on back order — he’s actually lost 61 slugging percentage points — and his average has also dropped to .278. Wilson rarely runs (six steals in two seasons) so he needs a juicy average to pay the fantasy freight. At least you can still enjoy the craftsman at work, as Wilson rarely strikes out and almost never swings at a pitch outside the strike zone. I’ll trust the process here, and stick with the player.

— A couple of other Athletics hitters have entered our fantasy lives. The other Max Muncy has a .239 average and a couple of homers, covering three infield positions in Yahoo. Outfielder Carlos Cortes has torn it up for 61 at-bats — .377 average, four homers. His Savant page is a sea of glorious red. The A’s have steered Cortes away from left-handed pitching, but so long as he’s crushing righties, we have to take notice.

Muncy is trading at 26% in Yahoo leagues, while Cortes has risen to 21% in recent days.

Turning attention to the pitchers

— Most winning teams are able to support a fantasy-viable closer, even if they have a hitter-favoring park. Unfortunately for the saves chase, the Athletics are spreading the handshakes around. Joel Kuhnel has four saves so far (including one Sunday), while Jack Perkins and Mark Leiter Jr. have two each. Left-hander Hogan Harris has one random save, something we can probably overlook (he’s also walked 13 men in 16.1 innings, which is an instant disqualifier.)

Kuhnel has a 2.16 ERA and 1.080 WHIP, supported by the peripherals. Perkins checks in at 3.18/1.147, and he’s actually been a little unlucky. Leiter has been unlucky, too, but his FIP (4.59) isn’t that much better than his actual 6.94 ERA. If you’re hunting for saves here, lean Kuhnel (24%) and consider Perkins (4%); ignore the others.

— The rotation has been surprisingly respectable, with three starters carrying ERAs in the 3s. But Jeffrey Springs (3.79/1.009) is the only starter with a strikeout rate good enough to challenge the park long-term — and his strikeout rate is merely league average. Springs also has to make do with an ordinary fastball (91.3 mph) and a below-average ground-ball rate. Occam’s Razor suggests you might be best ignoring every starting pitcher here, even if the Athletics wind up contending all season.