Tyler Soderstrom grew up in Turlock, Calif., which is less than 100 miles away from RingCentral Coliseum, and nights like he had on Tuesday show why one day he may become an everyday starter in the stadium that is close to home.

The No. 2 Athletics prospect was a run-producing machine after he finished 3-for-5 with two homers and four RBIs in High-A Lansing’s 6-0 win over Great Lakes.

“It felt good tonight,” Soderstrom said. “I’m glad I gave my team a chance to win and drove in the runs that I did tonight.”

The numbers have been impressive for Soderstrom this season as he has slashed .258/.320/.513 with an .833 OPS in his first season at the High-A level. Although the production has been there, the catcher has had his struggles due to the injuries he has faced in his first two seasons.

“It is not easy to battle injuries,” Soderstrom said. “I have learned from the first time I was injured with my oblique that you almost have to take time with it and not rush it. You have to trust the medical staff to get you back on the field and have to go through the whole process.”

Soderstrom has shown what he is capable of when he is fully healthy, just like he did on Tuesday. The California native’s productive night started early as in his first at-bat he hit an RBI single to right field in the first inning.

Soderstrom then showed what he is capable of power-wise, hitting a long ball to right-center field for a solo homer in the third inning and crushing a two-run shot to center field in the fifth inning. The 20-year-old is no stranger to multihomer nights, as he has previously done it four times already in his career.

Soderstrom’s power surge has brought his homer tally to 19 on the season, which has already surpassed his power numbers of last season when he hit 12 long balls.

“Everyone likes to hit homers,” Soderstrom said. “Personally, I like to just hit the ball hard and I just try to get the barrel on the balls which has led to some good home runs.”

Nights like Tuesday are what Soderstrom and his dad, Steve, have been working for since he was a kid. Tyler has the fortune of being guided by his dad, who had a career in baseball.

Steve Soderstrom was a first-round pick by the Giants in 1993 as a pitcher and went on to play 168 games in the Minor Leagues where he had a 4.77 ERA and struck out 510 in the 780 1/3 innings he pitched. He did reach the Majors Leagues with the Giants but only played in three games and threw 13 2/3 innings.

Tyler has shown that he is on a good path to follow his dad’s footsteps ever since he was drafted by the A’s in the first round in 2020. 2020 was a challenge for the player as he was unable to play as COVID-19 canceled the Minor League season, but he was able to go to the alternate site that year and prepare for his first season.

The preparation showed the following year as Soderstrom slashed .306/.390/.568 in 57 games at the Single-A level. It garnered him an invite to High-A in 2022, where he has spent the season and has shown his potential as he is 84-for-318 with 18 doubles, three triples and 69 RBIs.

The goal remains simple for the rest of the year: continue to produce and help the team win games as he develops. The key for the young player in his evolution is staying healthy and being the player he can be on a daily basis.

"Next step for me is trying to be a consistent ballplayer both offensively and defensively," Soderstrom said. "I think that is everyone's goal is to be as consistent at the plate and on defensive end. I'm just trying to do that every day."

Langeliers keeps mashing for Aviators on perfect night
With each passing day, it appears Shea Langeliers continues to shrink the distance between Las Vegas and Oakland.

The top A's prospect continued his domination of the Pacific Coast League, posting a perfect 4-for-4 night with a walk and another mammoth home run in the Aviators' 15-7 loss to Albuquerque at Isotopes Park on Tuesday night.

Langeliers began his flawless effort at the dish with a ground ball that found a hole through the right side of the infield for a single in the second inning. In the fourth, the 24-year-old turned around a first-pitch fastball and crushed it over the wall in center for a go-ahead two-run shot and his 18th dinger of the year.

MLB Pipeline's No. 30 overall prospect worked a five-pitch walk to load the bases in the sixth, before legging out an infield single to third to lead off the eighth. Langeliers would scamper home later in the frame on an RBI by Cal Stevenson. In his final at-bat, with two outs in the ninth, the righty-swinging backstop turned on the first pitch he saw again and sent a line drive into center for his third single. He motored around the bases to score two pitches later on a triple by Nate Mondou.

Langeliers has hit safely in all but one game in July and is slugging .629 over 14 games this month. He has amassed 34 extra-base hits, 53 runs scored, 47 RBIs and swiped five bases in six attempts over 78 games this season.