CHICAGO – After being announced as the American League’s starting first baseman for the upcoming All-Star Game, Nick Kurtz is likely going to be sidelined from his first Midsummer Classic experience.
Ahead of Friday night’s series opener against the White Sox at Rate Field, Athletics manager Mark Kotsay revealed that Kurtz was absent from the lineup due to a right thumb capsule strain. The injury is expected to land him on the injured list, which would effectively keep him out of the All-Star Game on July 14 in Philadelphia.
“We had Kurtz evaluated because he’s been dealing with a right thumb issue,” Kotsay said. “He’s played through it for, I don’t want to quote the timeline, but more than a few days. … We’re expecting him to have to go to the IL, which, obviously, will impact the All-Star Game. Once we really determine that, we’ll have more info.”
In what has been a brutal bout with the injury bug, Friday brought another massive blow. In addition to the Kurtz news, the A’s also placed Zack Gelof on the 10-day injured list with a right knee laceration he sustained Thursday night in Detroit after crashing into a side wall in foul territory while making an impressive catch.
Gelof has been invaluable for his bat and defensive versatility. Kurtz is downright irreplaceable. The reigning American League Rookie of the Year entered Friday slashing .266/.405/.497 with 20 home runs and 66 RBIs, ranking second in the Majors in walks (76), third in on-base percentage and tied for fifth in RBIs. After Vladimir Guerrero Jr. declined his All-Star selection, Kurtz was set to be rewarded for his tremendous first half by becoming the first A’s first baseman to start an All-Star Game since Jason Giambi in 2000.
Now that we know Kurtz has been dealing with a thumb injury, on top of a stomach bug that forced him to exit Wednesday’s game early, his recent slump makes a bit more sense. He was heading into Friday’s series opener hitless in his last 20 at-bats and just 8-for-55 (.145) with a homer over his previous 15 games. In his absence, Joey Meneses and Jonah Heim are in line to see time at first base for the A’s, with the club expected to add another player once Kurtz officially goes on the IL.
Kurtz will get a much-needed break. For the A’s, unfortunately, there is no break on the health front. They’ve already lost All-Star slugger Brent Rooker for the season due to a knee injury and will now be without Gelof and Kurtz through the All-Star break. Even the players they recently got back from the IL in Jacob Wilson (left shoulder) and Tyler Soderstrom (left hip) are still dealing with issues that will need to be managed for the remainder of the season.
Of course, nobody is going to feel sorry for the A’s, even as they move forward operating clearly at less than full strength. Despite a 41-52 record as they entered Friday having lost six in a row and 14 of 17, they still remain in the hunt for a playoff spot, and that was Kotsay’s messaging to his club with three games left before the All-Star break.
“I talked to the team today about adversity and no one feeling sorry for us,” Kotsay said. “We have to come together here with a next-man-up mentality to go help us win games. We’re still in a division race that’s up for grabs. I know we haven’t played well as of late, but there’s still that opportunity to get back in this thing.”