The young players and prospects who could headline the first Las Vegas Athletics roster when the new ballpark opens, from All-Star bats to a teenage shortstop with star potential.
Building the Roster Before the Building Is Ready
The interesting thing about following the Athletics right now is that the team you watch and the ballpark it is heading toward exist on two different clocks. The club is playing its bridge years in West Sacramento, with the plan calling for it to stay there through the 2027 season before the permanent Las Vegas ballpark opens, targeted for 2028. That means the roster taking shape today is essentially a preview of the group that could christen the new park on the Strip. If you want the fuller relocation story, our A's franchise timeline lays out how the team got here.
So who headlines that first Vegas team? Here is an honest look at the young talent already in the majors and the prospects climbing toward it. Where the record is still moving, we will say so rather than dress it up.
The Bats Already in the Building
The best news for the future Vegas core is that a chunk of it is already producing at the big-league level. First baseman Nick Kurtz announced himself in a hurry, winning American League Rookie of the Year in 2025 on the strength of one of the loudest debut seasons the franchise has seen in years, then following it up with an All-Star nod in 2026. He is the kind of middle-of-the-order anchor a young roster gets built around.
Around him sits a group that gives the lineup a real identity. Shortstop Jacob Wilson is the contact hitter of the bunch, a pure bat-to-ball player who finished as the AL Rookie of the Year runner-up the same year Kurtz won it. Tyler Soderstrom put up 25 home runs and 93 RBI in his first season as an everyday player and made a smooth move to left field, even drawing Gold Glove finalist attention for the transition. Lawrence Butler brings the power-and-speed blend from a corner outfield spot, and catcher Shea Langeliers gives the club a power bat behind the plate who started the 2026 All-Star Game. Several of these players have already signed long-term extensions, which matters: it means the core is not a rental that gets scattered before the Vegas doors open. For the full picture of who projects to make the move, our breakdown of who is coming to Vegas goes name by name.
The Crown Jewel in the Minors
If there is one prospect who could define the Las Vegas era, it is shortstop Leo De Vries. The A's acquired him from the Padres in the July 2025 trade that sent closer Mason Miller and pitcher JP Sears to San Diego, and they landed a player widely ranked among the very best prospects in the entire sport. De Vries was still a teenager when the deal happened, a switch-hitting Dominican shortstop with the kind of ceiling that makes front offices talk in careful, hopeful sentences.
In 2026 he has been holding his own at the upper levels of the minors, showing a patient approach, real pop, and the kind of baserunning that keeps a defense honest. Prospect timelines are never guaranteed, and it would be a mistake to pencil him into a specific arrival date. But the logic writes itself: a franchise cornerstone shortstop maturing on roughly the same schedule as the ballpark. If the development goes to plan, De Vries could be the face of the first Vegas roster.
The Next Wave Behind Him
thing about following the Athletics right now is that the team you watch and the ballpark it is heading toward exist on two different clocks.
The core does not stop at the headliners. Center fielder Denzel Clarke has already flashed elite, highlight-reel defense in the majors since his 2025 debut, the kind of glove that plays in any ballpark. Outfielder Colby Thomas and infielder Max Muncy give the system additional bats knocking on the door, and the pitching side, long the harder question for this franchise, has young arms like Jamie Arnold working up the ladder. Pitching development is where these things most often stall, so the honest read is that the position-player group is further along than the rotation. We keep a running list of the names worth tracking in our 2026 prospects watch list.
The Veteran Glue
Not every important piece is a kid. Designated hitter Brent Rooker remains the established, proven bat in the middle of the order, an All-Star who gives the young hitters around him cover and a professional example to follow. A roster of nothing but prospects rarely works; the veterans who bridge the leaner years into the good ones matter more than box scores suggest, and Rooker is that steadying presence for now.
What Has to Go Right
None of this is a promise, and that is the fun and the nerve of it. The young hitters have to keep hitting as the league adjusts to them. De Vries has to turn elite tools into big-league production. The pitching has to develop enough to keep games close. And the ballpark itself, planned for the former Tropicana site and targeted for 2028, has to come together on schedule, which is never a sure thing with a project this size. You can follow that side of the story on our Las Vegas ballpark tracker.
The Bottom Line
The pieces of a genuinely watchable first Las Vegas roster are already visible: an award-winning first baseman, a contact-hitting shortstop, a power-hitting catcher, a smooth-fielding outfield, and a teenage shortstop prospect with star potential climbing toward all of it. Whether it becomes a winner is the open question. But for the first time in a while, the A's story is about building something rather than leaving, and the group that could open the new park is taking shape in front of us right now.
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Frequently Asked Questions
Who could headline the first Las Vegas Athletics roster?
The core already in the majors includes first baseman Nick Kurtz, the 2025 AL Rookie of the Year and a 2026 All-Star, contact-hitting shortstop Jacob Wilson, power-hitting catcher Shea Langeliers, and outfielders Tyler Soderstrom and Lawrence Butler, several of whom have signed long-term extensions.
Who is Leo De Vries and why does he matter to the A's future?
De Vries is a switch-hitting shortstop prospect the A's acquired from the Padres in the July 2025 trade that sent Mason Miller and JP Sears to San Diego. Ranked among baseball's best prospects and still a teenager when the deal happened, he could become the face of the first Vegas roster.
When are the Athletics expected to move into their Las Vegas ballpark?
The plan calls for the team to play its bridge years in West Sacramento through the 2027 season, with the permanent Las Vegas ballpark on the former Tropicana site targeted to open in 2028. The post notes a project this size is never guaranteed to finish on schedule.
