Former Thompson High School standout Drew Avans made his Major League debut with the Athletics on Tuesday night and got a hit in his first trip to the plate in the big leagues.

Seventeen days short of his 29th birthday and after seven seasons in the minor leagues, Avans came up from the Las Vegas Aviators when the Athletics placed first baseman Nick Kurtz on the 10-day injured list with a hip-flexor strain.

Trailing the Houston Astros 11-1 on Tuesday night, the Athletics put three reserves on the field in the bottom of the seventh, including sending Avans out to play right field. He caught a flyball off the bat of Houston shortstop Jeremy Pena in the bottom of the eighth before leading off the ninth for the A’s.

“A little nervous to begin with, but after the first couple pitches, it’s just another game,” Avans said. “I knew I was going to get one at-bat, and I just wanted to get a good pitch to hit and not miss it.”

Avans dropped a 1-0 sinker from Astros reliever Forrest Whitley into center field for his first MLB hit.

“Just shows the professionalism of Drew,” Athletics manager Mark Kotsay said, “coming in prepared and ready to go up and take an at-bat.”

An honorable-mention All-State selection in 2013 for Thompson High School in Alabaster, Avans hit .200 in his first season at Southeastern Louisiana and .330 in his final one. Across four seasons, Avans hit .308 for the Lions before the Los Angeles Dodgers chose him in the 33rd round of the 2018 draft.

Avans spent six seasons in the Dodgers organization before signing a minor-league contract with the Athletics in November.

Avans came up from Las Vegas leading minor-league baseball with 62 hits in the 2025 season. In 48 games for the Aviators, Avans hit .328 with 16 stolen bases.

Across seven minor-league seasons, Avans had a .277 batting average with 116 doubles, 37 triples, 55 home runs and 177 stolen bases in 691 games. He spent the previous four seasons with Los Angeles’ Triple-A affiliate in Oklahoma City.

Avans did not play in the Athletics’ 5-3 loss to the Astros on Wednesday. The Athletics play the Toronto Blue Jays at 6:07 p.m. CDT Thursday at the Rogers Centre in Toronto.

The Athletics are playing their home games at Sutter Health Park in Sacramento, California, this season as they await the completion of their ballpark in Las Vegas to complete their move from Oakland.

Avans is the sixth player from an Alabama high school or college to make his Major League debut in the 2025 season, joining Texas Rangers first baseman Blaine Crim from St. Paul’s Episcopal in Mobile, Washington Nationals pitcher Cole Henry from Florence High School, Detroit Tigers pitcher Chase Lee from McAdory High School in McCalla and Alabama, Tampa Bay Rays outfielder Chandler Simpson from UAB and Kansas City Royals second baseman/outfielder Tyler Tolbert from Hewitt-Trussville High School and UAB.

Mark Inabinett is a sports reporter for Alabama Media Group. Follow him on X at @AMarkG1.