Fri May 02 01:20:00 UTC 2025: ## A’s Call Up Top Prospect Gunnar Hoglund for Major League Debut
**OAKLAND, CA (May 1, 2025)** – The Oakland Athletics are promoting highly touted pitching prospect Gunnar Hoglund to the major leagues, ESPN’s Jeff Passan reports. Hoglund, 25, will make his MLB debut after a stellar start to the Triple-A season.
Hoglund, originally a first-round pick (19th overall) by the Toronto Blue Jays in 2021, joined the A’s in the trade that sent Matt Chapman to Toronto. His progress was hampered by Tommy John surgery, but he completed a full minor league season in 2024 and has significantly improved in 2025.
While his stock dipped following the injury and a subsequent decrease in velocity, Hoglund has rebounded dramatically this year. His fastball velocity has increased from 91.7 mph in 2024 to 93.6 mph, and his strikeout rate has risen from 22.7% to 26.1%. ESPN’s Kiley McDaniel now ranks Hoglund as the A’s second-best prospect, behind only Nick Kurtz.
Hoglund’s impressive performance in the hitter-friendly Pacific Coast League (a 2.43 ERA, 26.1% strikeout rate, and 44% ground-ball rate in 2025) contrasts with his 2024 statistics (3.44 ERA, 22.7% strikeout rate in Double-A). He has also refined his pitching repertoire, adding a sinker and emphasizing curveballs and changeups over his slider.
The A’s rotation has been struggling recently, with several pitchers underperforming or injured. The team hopes Hoglund can solidify the fifth starter position, providing a much-needed boost to both the starting rotation (currently 26th in the majors with a 4.66 ERA) and the bullpen (eighth-highest ERA at 4.51). While his service time won’t reach a full year in 2025, he’s on track to become a “Super Two” player, eligible for salary arbitration four times.
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