Where Is Austin Pruitt Now?

Austin Pruitt was the first player to debut in the major leagues in 2017. The Tampa Bay Rays, who had picked him in the ninth round of the 2013 amateur draft out of the University of Houston, had a 7-2 lead over the New York Yankees when he entered the game in the top of the ninth inning on opening day.



Chase Headley, the first hitter he saw, hit a routine grounder to third base, but it resulted in a hit due to a defensive shift. Following that, Aaron Judge hit another ground ball to third base, but Evan Longoria’s glove failed to contain it.

Aaron Hicks, the next batter, then hit a ball that deflected off the tip of SS.



Tim Beckham’s glove for a base hit that loaded the bases; Austin was replaced by reliever Alex Colome, who retired the next three hitters to complete the game; Headley scored on a sacrifice fly.

Pruitt could have had a 1-2-3 inning with a little better luck, but he did not record an out. Austin let surrendered at least one run in each of his first six major league outings, bringing his ERA to 15.50 at that point.

After allowing 8 runs in his first two May games, he was demoted to the minors despite his subsequent improvement. He was then shuttled between Triple-A and the major leagues, returning to Tampa in late May, late June, and late July.

On April 25 he made a spot start, then on July 28, he was given the opportunity to start more regularly.

Where Is Austin Pruitt Now?

Austin Pruitt is with the Oakland Athletics.

Pruitt signed a minor league contract with the Oakland Athletics on March 13, 2022. On May 28, 2022, his contract was selected for the main league roster.