MINNEAPOLIS – It wasn’t the return Nick Kurtz or the Athletics were hoping for, but both parties can rest easy that he’ll be back at it again on Sunday.
Kurtz, who was activated from the 10-day IL on Saturday, struck out in all four of his at-bats as the Athletics dropped a 2-0 decision to the Twins at Target Field.
The Twins were planning on starting right-hander Mike Paredes, but he suffered a strained oblique during warmups. Minnesota then turned to hard-throwing lefty Kendry Rojas, who retired Kurtz twice. Left-hander Taylor Rogers and righty Andrew Morris also sent Kurtz back to the dugout shaking his head.
“It’s tough to come back. He faced two good lefties in his first three at-bats,” Athletics manager Mark Kotsay said. “Overall, we just wanted him to come out of this game healthy and continue forward.”
Afterwards, a disappointed Kurtz confirmed that his recently injured thumb didn’t cause him any problems.
“Swinging on the thumb felt good,” Kurtz said. “I just didn't get [the results] we wanted.”
Obviously any team would welcome a player of Kurtz’s caliber back into its lineup. But set aside his power totals – the tape-measure home runs, the triple-digit exit velocities – for a moment. The Athletics also benefit from some under-the-radar advantages of having the 2025 AL Rookie of the Year on the field and in the batting order.
“The defensive side of things – you know, some of that probably gets overlooked,” Kotsay said of Kurtz.
“Offensively, we all know what he’s capable of doing, what he's done to this point. His presence is another thing – if you have a guy in the lineup that clubs … obviously want to avoid, want to pitch around, want to not make mistakes to, that helps the other guys.”
Kurtz landed on the injured list on July 11 with a right thumb capsule sprain, after hitting .266 (89-for-334) with 15 doubles, one triple, 20 home runs, 66 RBIs and 76 walks in 92 games to open the season. Infielder Max Muncy, who had been recalled on July 21, was optioned back to Triple-A Las Vegas in a corresponding move prior to Saturday’s game.
Kurtz missed just 10 games thanks to the All-Star break, but that also meant he missed playing in his first All-Star Game. Still, it didn’t stop Kurtz from returning to his home state and enjoying the festivities in Philadelphia while he recovered.
“It was unfortunate for sure, but for our team, that was probably the best timing for something like this to happen,” Kurtz said. “It was still a lot of fun. You get to talk to a lot of guys that you don't get to talk to all the time. To be in the same locker room with Justin Verlander, Mike Trout, these Hall of Famers you get to spend the day with, it’s really cool.”
Kurtz’s team-first approach doesn’t surprise Kotsay, who lauded Kurtz for his maturity in handling the setback.
“Obviously, he was disappointed, but you never saw that emotion from him,” Kotsay said. “We saw a young player just excited about the experience, being a part of something that's really special, going there and getting an opportunity to be around the best of the best. And I know that there'll be another opportunity for him in his future."
In the 10 games that Kurtz missed, the Athletics slashed .258/.324/.427 and hit 12 home runs while going 3-7 in the process. All of those offensive totals are roughly equal to or slightly better than the team’s season averages. Some of that could be attributed to Kurtz remaining with the team and providing the same stable presence in the clubhouse, whether he’s healthy or not.
“Every day, he’s the same person,” said teammate Shea Langeliers. “You can't tell if he's 0-for-4 or 4-for-4. He’s just having a good time. He's laughing. He’s a great teammate.”
Coincidentally, Kurtz returned to action on the one-year anniversary of the game that put him on the radar of every baseball fan in the country. On July 25, 2025, Kurtz went 6-for-6 with a double and four home runs at Houston. His 19 total bases tied for the most in a game all time, per the Elias Sports Bureau.
“[Looking back now, it’s] definitely still super surreal,” Kurtz said. “I can't believe I actually did that. It’s one of those things where you don't think about repeating it because you're just lucky to get the chance to do it one time.”