Turlock native Kade Morris rebounds with A’s in first MLB appearance in California
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- Kade Morris made his first MLB appearance in California against the Los Angeles Dodgers.
- After a rough MLB debut, Morris threw three innings of one-run relief.
- The A’s called up Morris after Jose Suarez was placed on the paternity list.
A week ago, right-hander Kade Morris threw a seven-inning, four-hit gem to earn a win for the Triple-A Las Vegas Aviators, who were playing a series against the Sacramento River Cats at Sutter Health Park in West Sacramento.
The stellar start was redemption for Morris, the Athletics’ No. 11 overall prospect per MLB Pipeline, after the 24-year-old struggled in his MLB debut in early June, getting sent down after giving up nine runs to the Houston Astros.
Morris summed up his MLB debut in three words: “It just sucked,” according to MLB.com.
Little did Morris know, he would be back in West Sacramento less than a week later on Monday with a chance to fully complete that redemption in a relief appearance against the two-time reigning World Series champion Los Angeles Dodgers.
While it wasn’t necessarily a high-leverage spot, with the A’s already down 8-3 in the seventh inning, Morris threw three innings of one-run baseball and got out of a tough jam by forcing Mookie Betts to ground out and Teoscar Hernandez to strike out to end the top of the eighth inning. The A’s lost the game 9-4.
On top of the strong outing, Morris, who is from Turlock in the Modesto area, also made his first MLB appearance in California only about a two-hour drive from his hometown.
“It was cool being at home, seeing this place filled out,” Morris said ahead of Tuesday’s loss to the Dodgers (56-30) at Sutter Health Park, which he visited multiple times as a kid to watch the River Cats play. “Just being able to be that close to home and have people show up and see what you do is awesome.”
Morris, a graduate of Pitman High School in Turlock, said his girlfriend and some others from his hometown were in attendance Monday.
‘I’m a big leaguer’
Morris was called up earlier Monday after reliever Jose Suarez was placed on the paternity list. The A’s also called up two infielders, including No. 9 overall prospect Joshua Kuroda-Grauer, after starters Jacob Wilson and Tyler Soderstrom were placed on the 10-day injured list ahead of the series with the Dodgers, who boast the best record in baseball.
While his stellar start last week might have been his best of the season in Triple-A, Morris had put together a solid campaign in the hitter-friendly Las Vegas Ballpark.
Morris holds a 4.41 ERA with 60 strikeouts in 79 2/3 innings across 14 starts with the Aviators this season.
When he got sent down, Morris said he took notes from his rough debut, but kept the same mentality as he hoped to re-earn his spot on the Major League club.
“My mentality is I’m a big leaguer,” Morris said. “Whether that be in Triple-A or here, mentally, I’m always ready.”
A’s manager Mark Kotsay said Morris did a good job throwing strikes and working out of the eighth-inning jam, calling his outing a “solid” step in the right direction.
“Kade did a great job of keeping us in the game,” Kotsay said after Monday’s game. “He got out of a tough jam, executing the sinker down, getting some ground balls when he needed to.”
Morris will come out of the bullpen
Having primarily been used as a starting pitcher in his still-young professional career, the A’s usage of Morris as a bullpen arm may be an adjustment for him.
An adjustment Morris said he would embrace as he hopes to contribute to the injury-battered A’s, who sit at 40-46, just a few games out of both the American League West lead and the final AL Wild Card spot.
“I’m just here for whatever the team needs,” Morris said.
Beyond the timing of preparation, Morris said the biggest adjustment for coming out of the bullpen is the fact that there are no scheduled off days, forcing him to bring a different mentality on a day-to-day basis.
“Just showing up to the ballpark, ready to pitch every day, that’s kind of a difference,” Morris said. “As a starter, you get that luxury of knowing, ‘OK, I get one day out of the week.’ Now, I show up ready every day.”
This story was originally published July 1, 2026 at 6:00 AM with the headline "Turlock native Kade Morris rebounds with A’s in first MLB appearance in California."
