The Athletics have had a bumpy start to their first year based in West Sacramento, especially in home games. But two weeks into the season, their 23-year-old first baseman is outslugging all the sport’s top stars.

Tyler Soderstrom, a Turlock High School graduate and a first-round draft pick by the then-Oakland A’s in 2020, blasted two home runs Tuesday against the Chicago White Sox for his seventh and eighth homers of the season.

Soderstrom, as of Tuesday night, stood alone as MLB’s home run leader with eight in 2025. His pair in that evening’s win separated him from a pack of nine hitters who’ve tallied six. That group includes reigning American League MVP Aaron Judge of the New York Yankees, three-time MVP Mike Trout of the Los Angeles Angels and Wilmer Flores of the San Francisco Giants.

Soderstrom drove in six of the A’s dozen runs in Tuesday’s 12-3 win over the White Sox in Chicago. The victory improved the A’s record to 7-10 on the season — 5-3 on the road and 2-7 at their temporary home of Sutter Health Park in West Sacramento.

On top of giving him the league lead, Soderstrom’s two homers broke an unwelcome trend: His first six homers of 2025 all came in A’s losses.

A more welcome trend: Soderstrom already has three multi-homer games. He homered twice on Opening Day, March 27 against the Mariners in Seattle; and April 7, at Sutter Health Park against the San Diego Padres.

Soderstrom boasts a .328 batting average and a 1.137 on-base plus slugging percentage. He’s ranked fifth in MLB in OPS.The power surge is a welcome surprise for A’s fans. Now in his third big-league season, Soderstrom hit just nine homers in 61 games played last year and three in 45 games in 2023.

The A’s continue a three-game series against the White Sox on Wednesday and Thursday. They then travel to Milwaukee for a three-game set this weekend against the Brewers, are off Monday, and will return to West Sacramento to host the Texas Rangers for three games next Tuesday, April 22, through Thursday, April 24.