What will the A’s be known as while playing in West Sacramento? MLB team will keep it simple

The Athletics, a Major League Baseball franchise that’s been attached to the city of Oakland since 1968, will simply be known as the “A’s” or “Athletics” when the team plays in West Sacramento starting next year.

Team and local officials officially announced Thursday that the A’s will make a temporary move to West Sacramento’s Sutter Health Park as the team waits for the completion of a newly constructed ballpark in its new permanent home, Las Vegas. The Las Vegas stadium is expected to be completed in January 2028.

The MLB team will not include a city name in its moniker while the A’s play home games in West Sacramento.

For three seasons, starting in 2025, the Athletics will play home games at Sutter Health Park, 400 Ballpark Drive, just across Tower Bridge from downtown Sacramento. The ballpark currently seats just over 14,000 people including the stands, the lawn behind center field and standing room only.

Sutter Health Park has been home for the past 25 years to the Triple-A Sacramento River Cats, a team purchased by Sacramento Kings owner Vivek Ranadivé in 2022. Officials said the River Cats will continue to host its minor-league games at Sutter Health Park as it shares the location with the A’s.

At a news conference Thursday morning that also featured Oakland Athletics owner John Fisher, Ranadivé said the team will be called the A’s, while calling Sacramento area home.

“You’re going to see world-class baseball in the most intimate stadium in Major League Baseball,” Ranadivé said during the news conference at Sutter Health Park.

Last year, the A’s announced they would be leaving Oakland after playing in the Bay Area city for more than 50 years. The team’s decision to head to Las Vegas has been met by outrage and tailgate protests from Oakland fans.

This story was originally published April 4, 2024 at 1:28 PM.

Rosalio Ahumada

The Sacramento Bee

916-326-5549

Rosalio Ahumada writes breaking news stories related to crime and public safety for The Sacramento Bee. He speaks Spanish fluently and has worked as a news reporter in the Central Valley since 2004.