{"id":645417,"date":"2026-03-26T22:55:32","date_gmt":"2026-03-26T22:55:32","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/645417\/"},"modified":"2026-03-26T22:55:32","modified_gmt":"2026-03-26T22:55:32","slug":"as-return-to-west-sacramento-key-changes-for-2026","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/645417\/","title":{"rendered":"A\u2019s return to West Sacramento: Key changes for 2026"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"Athletics<\/p>\n

Athletics pitcher Angelo Perdomo throws in the sixth inning against the Chicago Cubs on Wednesday, April 2, 2025, during the A\u2019s first day game at Sutter Health Park in West Sacramento. <\/p>\n

PAUL KITAGAKI JR.<\/p>\n

pkitagaki@sacbee.com<\/p>\n

The sun is out. The grass is freshly mowed, the dirt and chalk lines finely groomed.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s time for baseball.<\/p>\n

The regular season begins this week for all 30 Major League Baseball teams and, with it, the Athletics will embark on the second year of their temporary West Sacramento residency.<\/p>\n

After leaving their Oakland home of 57 years following the 2024 season, the A\u2019s last year hosted their games at Sutter Health Park, home to the Triple-A Sacramento River Cats. The team returns to that venue for its home schedule in 2026 and plans to remain there in 2027 before moving in 2028 to their new permanent home: a stadium currently being built on the Las Vegas Strip<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Will the novelty of an MLB franchise hosting home games in California\u2019s capital for the first time fade in the A\u2019s second season, wearing out like the pitcher\u2019s mound in the eighth inning? Or will the promise of new promotions, new visiting teams and an exciting power-hitting squad in green and gold keep things crisp as the infield grass on a spring morning?<\/p>\n

Here\u2019s everything to know about how the A\u2019s second season in West Sacramento will look different from their first.<\/p>\n

\u2018Sacramento Saturdays\u2019 and other Sutter Health Park promos<\/p>\n

The A\u2019s plan to hand out a \u201cSacramento-themed giveaway item\u201d at every Saturday home game this season<\/a>. These include a replica baseball jersey for the second home game of the season on April 4 and a replica basketball jersey on May 2.<\/p>\n

The players will also wear gold jerseys with green \u201cSacramento\u201d lettering on Saturdays. The franchise received backlash in 2025 for not formally adopting \u201cSacramento\u201d<\/a> into the team\u2019s official name. The Athletics remain the only MLB team without a geographic team moniker \u2014 they are, in all official written communications, simply \u201cthe Athletics.\u201d<\/p>\n

Pregame giveaways are also set for each Sunday home game, including kids\u2019 baseball gloves on April 5 and a buildable Tower Bridge on Aug. 2.<\/p>\n

The A\u2019s also have six postgame fireworks shows on the schedule this season: their April 3 home opener (vs. the Houston Astros), May 15 (Giants), June 19 (Los Angeles Angels), July 4 (Miami Marlins), Aug. 14 (Texas Rangers) and Sept. 28 (Astros).<\/p>\n

\"Fireworks Fireworks soar over Sutter Health Park after the July 4, 2025, Major League Baseball game between the Athletics and San Francisco Giants. DANIEL HEUER Sacramento Bee file A trip to the desert<\/p>\n

The A\u2019s will play six designated \u201chome\u201d games closer to their planned future home: Las Vegas.<\/p>\n

The team will host the Milwaukee Brewers and Colorado Rockies for three-game series June 8-10 and June 12-14, respectively. They\u2019ll play those games at Las Vegas Ballpark, home to the A\u2019s Triple-A affiliate, the Las Vegas Aviators.<\/p>\n

Las Vegas Ballpark is located just outside Las Vegas in Summerlin, Nevada, and fits more than 8,000 fans in its standard configuration and 10,000 in its standing-room-only setup.<\/p>\n

New opponents coming to town<\/p>\n

Under the current MLB structure, each team plays all 29 other teams for at least one series each season.<\/p>\n

But for several interleague matchups pitting American League teams vs. National League opponents, there\u2019s only one series per year, with the host ballpark alternating annually.<\/p>\n

That means seven MLB teams didn\u2019t come play in West Sacramento in 2025, all from the National League: the Milwaukee Brewers, St. Louis Cardinals, Los Angeles Dodgers, Miami Marlins, Washington Nationals, Pittsburgh Pirates and Colorado Rockies.<\/p>\n

Because of the aforementioned six-game stint played at Las Vegas Ballpark, neither the Brewers nor Rockies will play in West Sacramento this season, which means those will likely be the only two teams not to visit Sutter Health Park if the A\u2019s stint there ends after 2027 as planned.<\/p>\n

But the five other above-listed National League teams will come to town, headlined by the Los Angeles Dodgers, who\u2019ve won the last two World Series and are seeking a three-peat.<\/p>\n

The Dodgers are sure to be a huge draw when they come to town for a three-game set Monday, June 29, through Wednesday, July 1. Their roster boasts two-way superstar Shohei Ohtani \u2014 widely considered one of the greatest baseball players of all time and who has won four league MVP awards, all by unanimous vote, in the past five seasons.<\/p>\n

Home for the holidays?<\/p>\n

The A\u2019s in 2025 hosted two of the biggest holidays that coincide with the MLB calendar, both against premier opponents: Mother\u2019s Day against the New York Yankees<\/a>, and Fourth of July against their former cross-bay rival San Francisco Giants.<\/p>\n

\"Lisa Lisa Butler hugs her son, Athletics outfielder Lawrence Butler, after a ceremonial first pitch before their game against the New York Yankees at Sutter Health Park on Mother\u2019s Day, April 11, 2025. Hector Amezcua hamezcua@sacbee.com <\/p>\n

The A\u2019s will be on the road this year for Mother\u2019s Day (in Baltimore, playing the Orioles) but are home once again for Independence Day, this time hosting the Miami Marlins before launching postgame fireworks.<\/p>\n

The Athletics will also be at home this season for one of MLB\u2019s biggest observances: Jackie Robinson Day<\/a>, as the A\u2019s host the Texas Rangers on April 15. The celebration commemorates Robinson, who broke baseball\u2019s color barrier on that date in 1947 when he debuted for the Brooklyn Dodgers, becoming the first African-American player to join Major League Baseball.<\/p>\n

All players on each team across all games on the MLB schedule April 15 wear Robinson\u2019s number, 42, in his honor.<\/p>\n

New spot for players to keep loose<\/p>\n

The A\u2019s late last year announced several player-focused renovated at Sutter Health Park<\/a>: a new grass playing surface, a renovated batting cage beyond the center field wall and, perhaps most notably, a room in each dugout allowing players to keep their bodies warm, watch video or otherwise decompress.<\/p>\n

The last point came after an interesting subplot last season involving A\u2019s pitcher Luis Severino, the team\u2019s Opening Day starter and highest-paid player in 2025, who complained on multiple occasions about not being able to go to the clubhouse between innings, which had been part of his in-game routine. The A\u2019s clubhouse is beyond the outfield wall, meaning pitchers wanting to do so would need to walk all the way across the field and back.<\/p>\n

The number supported his discomfort: Severino pitched much better last season away from Sutter Health Park, with his earned run average at home (6.01) almost double his road ERA (3.02).<\/p>\n

A\u2019s general manager David Forst announced the renovations in December during MLB\u2019s winter meetings and, in an interview with MLB.com, referred to the new dugout room on the A\u2019s side as the Severino Room.<\/a><\/p>\n

\"Athletics Athletics pitcher Luis Severino reacts after a pitch in the fourth inning during a game at Sutter Health Park in West Sacramento on June 18, 2025. PAUL KITAGAKI JR. pkitagaki@sacbee.com New second baseman<\/p>\n

The A\u2019s added veteran second baseman Jeff McNeil this offseason in a trade with the New York Mets, sending a minor league pitcher in return.<\/p>\n

McNeil, who\u2019ll turn 34 in early April, spent the first eight years of his career with the Mets and is a native of Santa Barbara. He was drafted in 2023 out of Cal State Long Beach.<\/p>\n

McNeil last year in his age 33 season batted .243 with a .746 on-base percentage and 2.0 wins above replacement, according to Baseball Reference<\/a>. A contact hitter, he\u2019s tallied more than 12 homers in a season just once in his career, in 2019.<\/p>\n

The A\u2019s struggled at second base in 2025, with players at the position batting a combined .199 amid an otherwise potent offense.<\/p>\n

New role for a familiar face<\/p>\n

Bob Melvin, who managed the then-Oakland A\u2019s from 2011 through 2021, is returning to the franchise this season with a new title: special assistant to baseball operations<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Melvin, 64, led Oakland to six postseason appearances before serving as manager of the San Diego Padres in 2022 and 2023, then the Giants in 2024 and 2025.<\/p>\n

\"Manager Manager Bob Melvin of the Oakland Athletics looks on before the game against the Seattle Mariners during Lou Gehrig Day at T-Mobile Park on June 2, 2021, in Seattle. Steph Chambers Getty Images Renewed push for permanent MLB presence<\/p>\n

Civic leaders and other stakeholders since the A\u2019s temporary arrangement was first publicly announced in 2024 have expressed their desire to make MLB a permanent fixture of the capital region<\/a>, likening the three-year stint to an audition.<\/p>\n

If the A\u2019s proceed as planned to their new Las Vegas stadium in 2028, the avenue for Sacramento\u2019s permanent presence would be MLB\u2019s expected expansion from 30 to 32 teams, which league Commissioner Rob Manfred has said will happen by 2029.<\/p>\n

Those calls have intensified leading up to the 2026 season.<\/p>\n

\u201cI think MLB is going to give a hard, hard look at Sacramento with only one team in Northern California,\u201d Sacramento Mayor Kevin McCarty said in an interview with Sacramento Bee opinion journalist LeBron Hill. (That other team, with the A\u2019s departing for Nevada, is the San Francisco Giants.)<\/p>\n

McCarty said he and other Sacramento leaders will formally unveil their bid this May, but that the plan would be for a new, MLB-level stadium to be built in West Sacramento. McCarty and West Sacramento Mayor Martha Guerrero did not give specifics on the preferred location or details on interested ownership possibilities, but confirmed West Sacramento officials targeting a space near Sutter Health Park.<\/p>\n

MLB in expanding by two teams would likely only add one team in the Western U.S. Aside from Sacramento, both Salt Lake City and Portland, Oregon, are considered strong candidates to be that new team\u2019s home.<\/p>\n

\"Riley Riley Mosby, 6, hopes to get the attention of a San Fransisco Giants player for a ball at right field fence before the team\u2019s first game against the Athletics at Sutter Health Park on Friday, July 4, 2025. DANIEL HEUER Sacramento Bee file Will the weather cooperate?<\/p>\n

The Sacramento region enjoyed relatively modest temperatures during last summer. Given California\u2019s capital city can hit triple digits and years has on occasion surpassed 110 degrees, the A\u2019s scheduled about as few day games at home as logistically possibly.<\/p>\n

The threat of Sacramento heat also played a major role in the A\u2019s ditching early plans to install artificial turf<\/a>, which would have created a hotter playing field but had been intended to better withstand the wear and tear from hosting both Athletics and River Cats game. Sutter Health Park instead continues to use natural grass.<\/p>\n

Temperatures never boiled over to dangerous levels in 2025, with no reports of any heat-related medical issues in the stands or on the field.<\/p>\n

But hot weather is again top of mind in Sacramento, where temperatures last week in mid-March reached the high 80s.<\/p>\n

The A\u2019s also moved their standard start time for night games up by 25 minutes, with most set to start at 6:40 p.m. this season instead of 7:05 p.m. like last year.<\/p>\n

Related Stories from Sacramento Bee<\/p>\n


\n \"Profile
\n <\/a><\/p>\n

Michael McGough<\/a><\/p>\n

The Sacramento Bee<\/p>\n

Michael McGough is a sports and local editor for The Sacramento Bee. He previously covered breaking news and COVID-19 for The Bee, which he joined in 2016. He is a Sacramento native and graduate of Sacramento State.\u00a0\n <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Athletics pitcher Angelo Perdomo throws in the sixth inning against the Chicago Cubs on Wednesday, April 2, 2025,…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":645418,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2391],"tags":[82648,82647,537,5,36967,4,3226,41566,8980],"class_list":["post-645417","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-athletics","tag-2026-as-season","tag-as-west-sacramento","tag-athletics","tag-baseball","tag-las-vegas-ballpark","tag-mlb","tag-mlb-athletics","tag-sacramento-baseball","tag-sutter-health-park"],"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/channels.im\/@mlb\/116297947220688761","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/645417","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=645417"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/645417\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/645418"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=645417"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=645417"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=645417"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}