Monday, September 28

Hello! Welcome to another edition of the A’s beat newsletter.

CHICAGO – The tradition of visiting teams at Wrigley Field sending players on a pregame coffee run has been in place for over a decade now. On Wednesday, it was time for the Athletics to partake.

Organized by clubhouse elder statesman Jeff McNeil, seven players dressed in full uniform about four hours before a 7:05 game against the Cubs were sent to the Starbucks down the street to pick up an order of about 27 coffees, placed by the A’s second baseman, for the team and coaching staff.

Per tradition rules, players with limited Major League service time are required to make the trek. For the A’s, those seven were Kade Morris (who was called up on June 2), Gage Jump (who made his second career start on the same day), Henry Bolte, Mason Barnett, Jack Perkins, Colby Thomas and Carlos Cortes.

“It was a bit awkward,” Jump said with a laugh. “It was cool, though. It was weird walking over there in full uniform. … I didn’t get a coffee, but I made sure everyone else got coffee. It was pretty funny.”

The orders ranged from cold brews to drip coffees and everything in between. As you could imagine, people walking outside the Friendly Confines had the reactions you would expect when randomly seeing a group of Major League ballplayers walking on the street while carrying handfuls of java.

“It was cool,” Thomas said. “Everybody was pretty cool about it. All the fans were taking pictures. The cars driving by, everybody had their phones out while we were standing there in full uniform four hours before the game.”

When those players are from the other side, of course, there is going to be some heckling.

“We got chirped a little bit,” Thomas said. “There was a little bit of heckling. But everyone was pretty cool. The Starbucks people didn’t know we were coming, but I guess they assumed because there was an order with 20-something coffees. We also had some leftover coffee after the game, so we grabbed a lot. It was fun.”

A’s manager Mark Kotsay never took part in the tradition as a player, though he’s experienced it a few times now as a coach. He made sure to get his order in. More importantly, he was happy to see his team having some fun in the midst of a long season.

“I got the Americano Grande, and it was a little burnt,” Kotsay said. “I wanted somebody to go back and get it replaced. … I kind of wish it was in the morning during a day game, but we weren’t afforded that opportunity and had to do it [Wednesday] afternoon. But hey, fun day for the young guys and the veterans to get them to go over and do a coffee run.”

It wasn’t just all work for the young A’s. In what was their first trip to the historic ballpark, Thomas and Bolte both had a chance to explore the venue, including a trip inside the legendary scoreboard beyond center field.

“This is such a cool area,” Thomas said. “It’s a sweet spot. They’ve kept the old stadium but updated it so much that it’s so nice without really changing anything about it. It’s sick.”

Reigning American League Rookie of the Year Nick Kurtz earned AL Player of the Month honors for the second time in his career (July 2025) after a steady May in which he batted .333 with a 1.025 OPS, five home runs and 26 RBIs in 28 games. The highlight, of course, was his historic on-base streak of 48 games, which tied Mark McGwire for the longest single-season streak in A’s history.

“For me, it was like a very sleepy, successful month,” Kotsay said.

“When the announcement hit my email this morning, I had to think about it and said, ‘Hey, that was a pretty good month.’ Whether that’s my own expectations of how he performs consistently, it’s just a great recognition of what he’s accomplished. To have two Player of the Months already in a short timeframe for him says a lot about the player that he is, and how fortunate we were to draft this kid with the fourth pick of that [2024] Draft and have a player that is really contributing and impacting our organization.”

Voting for the 2026 MLB All-Star Game at Citizens Bank Park in Philadelphia is underway, and nine A’s are on the ballot: catcher Shea Langeliers, first baseman Nick Kurtz, second baseman Jeff McNeil, third baseman Zack Gelof, shortstop Jacob Wilson, outfielders Tyler Soderstrom, Lawrence Butler and Carlos Cortes and designated hitter Brent Rooker. Fans can vote up to five times per day by logging your vote exclusively online and via mobile devices at mlb.com/vote. After submitting a fifth vote on the ballot, fans will be given the option to be redirected to KONAMI's mobile game eBaseball: MLB PRO SPIRIT for an exclusive opportunity to vote for a sixth time.

The first phase of voting ends on June 25 at 9:00 a.m. PT.

The A’s upcoming special homestand at Las Vegas Ballpark, home of the club’s Triple-A affiliate Las Vegas Aviators, features a special A’s jersey giveaway. Presented by the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority | LVCVA, the home white A’s jersey includes “Vegas” on the back with the No. 28, signaling the A’s planned 2028 opening of their new ballpark on the Las Vegas Strip. Jerseys will be given out to all early-arriving fans, while supplies last.

To purchase tickets, visit https://www.mlb.com/athletics/tickets/promotions.

• The A’s are inching closer to getting Jacob Wilson back as the All-Star shortstop is set to begin a Minor League rehab assignment. More >>

• Gage Jump tossed a seven-inning gem at Wrigley Field to notch his first Major League win. More >>

To subscribe to Athletics beat, visit your MLB Account page, check the "Athletics Beat Report" list under All League Newsletters and make sure you're following the Athletics or they're checked as your favorite team.

View Online

© 2026 MLB Advanced Media, L.P. MLB trademarks and copyrights are used with permission of Major League Baseball. Visit MLB.com. Any other marks used herein are trademarks of their respective owners.

Please review our Privacy Policy.

You (mlb-newsletters@mlb.com) received this message because you registered to receive commercial email messages or purchased a ticket from MLB. 

Please add info@marketing.mlbemail.com to your address book to ensure our messages reach your inbox. If you no longer wish to receive commercial email messages from MLB.com, please unsubscribe or log in and manage your email subscriptions.

Postal Address: MLB.com, c/o MLB Advanced Media, L.P., 1271 Avenue of the Americas, New York, NY 10020.