In just his second season in the big leagues, Athletics first baseman Nick Kurtz has exceeded expectations by a wide margin.
Kurtz leads the league in RBIs (66) and walks (76), while he has recorded 89 hits and 20 home runs across 334 at-bats. He’s batting .266 with a .497 slugging percentage and a .902 OPS.
He received his very first All-Star bid last week, but got some bad news on Saturday morning.
Athletics Place Kurtz on IL
After injuring his thumb, the Athletics officially placed Kurtz on the 10-day IL, which will likely keep him out of next week’s game at Citizens Bank Park in Philadelphia.
Kurtz exited Wednesday’s 6-1 loss at Detroit after 1 1/2 innings due to what the team called an illness. However, after trying to throw he was in some noticeable discomfort on his hand.
On Thursday, he ended up going 0-for-4 with two strikeouts and ultimately Kurtz and the A’s saw something concerning enough to place on the IL.
We have made the following roster moves. pic.twitter.com/POWcDhd8rD
— Athletics (@Athletics) July 11, 2026
Kurtz Was Born in Pennsylvania
This was a particularly special All-Star Game opportunity for Kurtz because he is a native of Lancaster, Pennsylvania. It would have been his first ASG appearance, and he earned a starting nod in his home state, likely with plenty of family in attendance.
“It’d be really cool to have the first All-Star appearance be in Philly,” Kurtz told The Sacramento Bee in June. “It would be pretty special, be a full-circle moment for me.”
Kurtz earned the most votes among American League first basemen in the players ballot and when fan-elected Vladimir Guerrero Jr. revealed he would not be participating, Kurtz was the next one in line.
The Athletics do have one other starter, as Shea Langeliers will start at catcher. Kurtz and Langeliers would have become the first pair of A’s All-Star starters since Rickey Henderson and Dave Henderson in 1991.
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