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In need of a spark amidst a nine-game losing streak, the Athletics are turning to one of the best athletes in the minor leagues by calling up Canadian outfielder Denzel Clarke.
A native of Pickering, Ont., Clarke was selected in the fourth round of the 2021 MLB Draft by the A’s out of Cal State, Northridge and has steadily worked his way through the minors, leading to Friday’s promotion.
The recently turned 25-year-old was added to the Athletics’ 40-man roster in the off-season, protecting him from the Rule 5 Draft ahead of his first season in triple-A. Through 31 games with the Las Vegas Aviators this season, Clarke has delivered promising results at the plate, increasing his walk rate and cutting down his strikeout rate from his 2024 campaign in double-A.
Ranked as the No. 5 prospect in the A’s organization by MLB Pipeline, Clarke arrives in the majors with a unique blend of power, size and speed that allows him to play an elite centre field and change games on the basepaths.
Here’s everything you need to know about Canada’s newest big-leaguer as he prepares for his MLB debut.
Age: 25
Position: Centre field
Swings: Right | Throws: Right
Height: Six-foot-four | Weight: 220 lbs.
2025 Stats (triple-A): AVG: .286 | 11 XBH | 21 RBI | 7 SB | .436 OBP | .419 SLG
Clarke’s natural athleticism has helped him excel on the diamond, despite a late arrival to the sport. His mom, Donna Clarke, was an Olympic heptathlete for Canada in the 1984 Games and once held the Canadian long jump record.
But his family’s ties to the professional sports world don’t stop there.
Clarke’s uncle, Kevin Smellie, played running back for the Toronto Argonauts in the early 1990s. His cousin, Gavin Smellie, was a sprinter for Canada at the 2012 Olympics. And of course, his other cousins, Josh, Bo and Myles Naylor, have done a pretty good job of making a name for themselves in the baseball world.
In fact, Clarke credits the Naylors for introducing him to the game.
Earlier this year, in the Athletics’ Spring Breakout game, Clarke got the chance to share the field with Myles for the first time. The two were selected to represent the A’s in a showcase of top prospects against the San Diego Padres.
While he’s never teamed up with Josh in the pros, Clarke and Bo did get to suit up together as members of Team Canada at the 2023 World Baseball Classic.
Clarke’s standout tool is his speed, which helps him profile as a potential Gold Glove outfielder and routinely rack up stolen bases.
In 311 career minor-league games, Clarke has swiped 85 bags at a near 85 per cent success rate. He also terrorized opposing catchers in two separate trips to the Arizona Fall League (AFL), where he added 12 stolen bases on 14 attempts.
Shoulder injuries have cost Clarke development time since being drafted by the Athletics. In his first two full professional seasons, he played in just 169 games, including his 2022 trip to the AFL. But in the two years since, he’s stayed healthy enough to take the field 166 times and counting.
The progress the Canadian Junior National Team alum has made at the plate this season is perhaps the most encouraging sign of his standout 2025 so far. Entering the year with concerns around how much he swung and missed, Clarke has dropped his swinging strike rate by nearly three per cent, despite moving up a level.
Clarke has also produced some of the best exit velocities in triple-A this season. Before being recalled Friday, he posted a 50 per cent hard-hit rate and owned a 115.2 m.p.h. max exit velocity — a threshold only 13 other triple-A hitters have breached in 2025.
While he hasn’t gotten the power results you may expect from numbers like those — likely due to a 68.1 per cent ground ball rate — there is plenty of upside in Clarke’s bat if he can continue to consistently put the ball in play.
Along with suiting up for Canada at the 2023 WBC and playing on the Junior National Team, Clarke also donned the Red and White at the 2017 U-18 Baseball World Cup, helping his country finish fourth.
He was named the tournament’s top defensive player for his efforts in the outfield, which included a super-human grab in right field.
At the WBC, Clarke played in three games, going 0-for-8 with a walk, hit by pitch and stolen base as Canada went 2-2 in round-robin play.
Baseball Canada has honoured Clarke multiple times over the past three years, giving the A’s prospect the Special Achievement Award in 2023 and the Stubby Clapp Award this January.
When Clarke officially takes the field for his debut, he will become the 17th Canadian to play in the majors this season and the 36th Junior National Team member since 1999, per Baseball Canada.
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