'Come in and do you': Journeyman Kuhnel has found his place in A's 'pen

This story was excerpted from Martín Gallegos’ A’s Beat newsletter. To read the full newsletter, click here. And subscribe to get it regularly in your inbox.

WEST SACRAMENTO – It hasn’t taken long for Joel Kuhnel to gain the belief of those around him.

Less than two weeks after getting called up from Triple-A Las Vegas, Kuhnel notched his fourth save of the year for the Athletics in a 6-4 series-opening victory over the Mariners at T-Mobile Park on April 20. Afterwards, players inside the A’s clubhouse were already unleashing the superlatives to describe him.

“Kuhnel is unbelievable,” outfielder Lawrence Butler said. “When he comes in, I guarantee the game is over. I feel one hundred percent that, when he comes in the game, we’re going to win. I trust him.”

“He comes in, trusts his stuff and attacks the strike zone,” said catcher Shea Langeliers. “He’s not afraid of the moment.”

Nobody could have seen this coming.

The A’s entered Tuesday atop the American League West standings in first place, and leading the way in their bullpen with four saves is Kuhnel, a 31-year-old journeyman who had spent the majority of his previous three seasons in the Minors.

Drafted by the Reds in 2016, Kuhnel debuted in the Majors in 2019. Injured for most of the 2021 season due to right shoulder surgery, Kuhnel broke through as a big leaguer by making 53 appearances for the Reds in ‘22 and appeared to establish himself as a workhorse of their bullpen. Or so he thought.

While the quantity was there for Kuhnel by making the third-most appearances of any Reds reliever that year, the quality was lacking as he sported a 6.36 ERA. Kuhnel made two appearances for Cincinnati in 2023 before getting designated for assignment, and thus began his organization carousel.

June 17, 2023: Traded to Astros for cash.
January 4, 2024: Designated for assignment by Astros.
January 29, 2024: Signed a Minor League contract with Astros.
April 30, 2024: Designated for assignment by Astros.
May 4, 2024: Traded to Blue Jays for cash.
May 31, 2024: Designated for assignment by Blue Jays.
June 11, 2024: Signed a Minor League contract with Brewers.
July 21, 2024: Designated for assignment by Brewers.
July 23, 2024: Claimed off waivers by Rays.
Dec. 21, 2024: Signed Minor League contract with Phillies.
July 24, 2025: Signed Minor League contract with Yankees.

Finishing his ‘25 campaign with the Yankees’ Triple-A affiliate, Kuhnel drew interest from several clubs this offseason as a Minor League free agent. Fielding calls from interested suitors over the winter, his conversation with the A’s front office stood out from the other clubs he’d talked to.

“They weren’t trying to change me or make me do something I’ve never done before,” Kuhnel said. “They just told me, ‘We enjoy what you do as you. We just want you to come in and do you.’ I just felt really comfortable hearing that.”

That messaging sold Kuhnel on the A’s, who signed him to a Minor League contract in December with an invite to Spring Training. True to their word, when Kuhnel showed up at big league camp in Arizona, the A’s allowed him to be himself and do what he does at his best, which is throw a bunch of strikes and fire a heavy sinker down in the zone that misses barrels and generates ground balls when it’s working. And boy, was it working.

In 10 Cactus League games, Kuhnel allowed two earned runs with 10 strikeouts and two walks in 11 2/3 innings, making it to the final days of Spring Training before getting assigned to Triple-A.

“He stuck out as a guy capable of getting outs in different ways,” A’s pitching coach Scott Emerson said. “I remember talking to him in the offseason like, ‘Hey, we value you getting outs. You got outs in Triple-A. We thought you should’ve had an opportunity to pitch in the big leagues last year. We think, at some point, you’re going to help our team.’”

Called up on April 7 to provide help for a depleted bullpen, Kuhnel has racked up several big outs in a short amount of time for the A’s. He may not possess premium “closer stuff,” but he rarely beats himself – just one walk in nine appearances – and has emerged as a vital piece of this bullpen that remains in a closer-by-committee setup.

"The job is just to get him into the game where the leverage is for him to get balls on the ground,” Emerson said. “He’s proven he can close out games, and that’s important for us to have multiple guys in that role. … We’ve got a lot of confidence in him.”