The Athletics selected infielder Michael Stefanic to the active roster, according to MLB Trade Rumors, giving Oakland an extra glove around the horn as the club plays out a lost season missing two of its best players.
This isn't Stefanic's first look with the big club. He got into two games with Oakland back in May before getting designated for assignment, clearing waivers, electing free agency, and re-signing on a minor league deal. Now he's back, and the circumstances that created the opening say a lot about how rough this season has gotten for the A's.
Jacob Wilson, the All-Star shortstop, is dealing with a left shoulder injury that's expected to keep him out for the rest of 2026. Nick Kurtz, Oakland's breakout first baseman, has been fighting an acute-on-chronic thumb injury all summer and is now on the 60-day IL, also in danger of missing the remainder of the year. Losing both at once is a gut punch for a roster that was still finding its footing.
Stefanic isn't walking in to replace either of their production. Across 294 career big-league plate appearances he's a.231/.315/.269 hitter with zero home runs, a low-power, contact-oriented profile that leans on his versatility -- he can play shortstop, second, and third. His numbers at Triple-A this year (.296/.405/.414 with 6 homers in 453 plate appearances) are a step up, even if that comes in a hitter-friendly Pacific Coast League.
The move came bundled with a couple of other roster shuffles -- Taylor Rashi got optioned to Triple-A Las Vegas and righty Kade Morris was recalled -- standard late-August maintenance for a club with nothing left to play for but reps and evaluation. For Stefanic, it's another shot to stick, even if only as a stopgap while Oakland waits out the injuries to its actual building blocks.