Amid ongoing difficulties at the bottom of their starting rotation, the Athletics called up No. 14 prospect Gunnar Hoglund on Friday to make his Major League debut against the Marlins. To make room on the roster for Hoglund, right-hander Carlos Duran was optioned to Triple-A Las Vegas.
"I’m excited,” As manager Mark Kotsay said pregame. “Expectations are that he goes out and competes and gives his best effort. … He’s had some injury issues to get through, and it’s been a long road, a hard road for him I’m sure, and it should be a really rewarding night for him to go out and make his debut.”
Hoglund has been impressive in six starts for Triple-A Las Vegas this season, with a 2.43 ERA and 30 strikeouts in 29 2/3 innings.
“He's thrown the ball pretty well in Triple-A, and we liked what we saw out of him in Spring Training,” Kotsay said. “This is a kid that we targeted in the [Matt] Chapman deal. This will be his first time out in the big leagues, and we're excited about it for him. We do feel he’s pitched well enough to be here. You don’t just bring someone up just to call him up. For us, it’s a good situation to have some depth and, obviously, give him his opportunity and get a look at him here.”
The 25-year-old right-handed Hoglund is a two-time first-round MLB Draft pick. The Pirates selected him with the 36th overall pick in 2018. He chose to pitch in college -- for Ole Miss -- and then the Blue Jays picked him up with the 19th pick of the ‘21 Draft. He is the Athletics’ last vestige of the trade that sent Matt Chapman to Toronto in March ‘22.
Elbow surgery sidelined Hoglund for most of the 2022 season, and he saw limited action in ‘23. But he put together a solid campaign last year for Double-A Midland, making 18 starts (19 appearances) and posting a 2.84 ERA with 97 strikeouts in 104 2/3 innings.
Kotsay, a former first-round pick himself, is relying upon that experience to guide Hoglund as he navigates expectations.
“There is pressure, there’s no doubt about that. … for young players trying to establish themselves and knowing that their peers have received [long-term extensions]. … I have some experience in that world, with being a first-round Draft pick, being a player that broke in on a World Series championship Marlins team in ‘97, but then a team that lost 108 games in ‘98.
“I’m blessed to have been in this game for this long and be able to share these experiences with these young players, and help them grow in their development, and help them become everyday Major League players.”
In his most recent outing in Triple-A on April 27, Hoglund allowed no runs with only three hits and two walks in five innings, striking out five.