Athletics' Nick Kurtz: Caps off season with 36th homer
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Kurtz went 1-for-4 with a two-run homer in Sunday's 9-2 loss against the Royals.
The rookie slugger provided Oakland's only offense of the night with a 423-foot blast off Sam Long in the eighth inning, marking his 36th homer of the season and his seventh since September 10. Over that span, he hit .233 with 13 RBI while continuing to show his game-changing power. Kurtz looks like the clear favorite for AL Rookie of the Year honors, as he'll finish the regular season with an impressive .290/.383/.619 slash line, 26 doubles, 86 RBI and 90 runs scored to go along with his outstanding long-ball total across 488 plate appearances.
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Athletics' Nick Kurtz: Slogs two homers vs. Astros
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Kurtz went 3-for-5 with two home runs and three RBI during the Athletics' 11-5 loss to the Astros.
The Athletics trailed by as many as 10 runs in Thursday's contest, but Kurtz gave the home fans something to cheer for with a solo homer in the sixth inning and a two-run shot in the eighth. It was Kurtz's third multi-homer game of the season, and his 35 long balls lead all rookies and rank 12th in the majors. He has a 1.010 OPS in 477 plate appearances this season, which ranks second in the majors behind Aaron Judge (1.140) among players with at least 450 plate appearances.
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Athletics' Nick Kurtz: Mashes 33rd homer
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Kurtz went 1-for-4 with a solo home run in Friday's 4-3 win over the Pirates.
The rookie slugger took Mitch Keller deep in the fourth inning to kick off a rally from an early 3-0 deficit. Kurtz is up to 33 homers on the season, tying him with Jose Canseco for the second-most in franchise history by a rookie behind Mark McGwire's legendary 1987 season, when he set a then-MLB record with 49. Like those two former A's stars, Kurtz seems like a lock for the AL Rookie of the Year Award given his .293/.387/.620 slash line through his first 109 games.
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Athletics' Nick Kurtz: Mammoth slam in win
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Kurtz went 1-for-5 with a grand slam in Saturday's 11-5 win over the Reds.
Kurtz launched a 493-foot slam -- the longest homer in the majors this year -- in the eighth inning, giving the Athletics plenty of breathing room after a quiet first four plate appearances. He's popped five homers over his last 14 games, adding 10 RBI and 13 runs scored in that span. The rookie first baseman is up to 31 long balls, 78 RBI, 78 runs scored, two stolen bases, 24 doubles and two triples while maintaining a .298/.391/.622 slash line across 104 contests.
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Athletics' Nick Kurtz: Up to 30 homers
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Kurtz went 2-for-4 with a solo home run in Wednesday's 5-4 win over the Red Sox.
Kurtz put the A's ahead 2-1 in the second inning with an opposite-field shot off Payton Tolle, his 30th homer of the season and third in his last seven games. The rookie first baseman is batting .302 with a 1.023 OPS -- tops among all rookies -- 77 runs scored and 74 RBI across 426 plate appearances this season.
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Athletics' Nick Kurtz: Blasts 29th homer
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Kurtz went 1-for-3 with a solo home run, two walks and three total runs scored in Saturday's 17-4 win over the Angels.
Since returning from a minor oblique issue, Kurtz has gone 3-for-14 with two homers, a double and three RBI over four contests. The first baseman contributed to a four-homer, 21-hit attack for the Athletics when he launched his solo shot in the fourth inning Saturday. The rookie is up to 29 homers, 73 RBI, 75 runs scored, two stolen bases, 24 doubles and a .305/.402/.635 slash line across just 98 games, and he's done all of that despite a 30.4 percent strikeout rate.
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Athletics' Nick Kurtz: Back in action Tuesday
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Kurtz (oblique) is starting at first base and batting leadoff Tuesday against the Cardinals.
The rookie first baseman is back in the lineup Tuesday after missing the previous three games due to oblique discomfort. Kurtz will attempt to get back on track after going 4-for-20 with five walks, a homer, five runs and nine strikeouts in the nine games preceding the injury.
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Athletics' Nick Kurtz: Absence continuing Sunday
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Kurtz (oblique) is out of the lineup for Sunday's game against the Rangers.
The 22-year-old had an MRI come back clean Saturday, but he'll still be held out of the lineup for a second consecutive game. Manager Mark Kotsay indicated Saturday that Kurtz should be back soon but didn't provide a target date. Tyler Soderstrom is filling it at first base, with Carlos Cortes starting in left field.
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Athletics' Nick Kurtz: Gets promising results from MRI
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Kurtz's MRI on his oblique revealed that he does not have a strain, and manager Mark Kotsay said he's hopeful the first baseman will be back playing "sooner than later," Martin Gallegos of MLB.com reports.
This should provide a big sigh of relief for both the A's and fantasy managers who roster Kurtz, as an oblique strain would have likely resulted in a stint on the IL. Instead, Kurtz should be considered day-to-day, though he's not in the lineup Saturday versus Texas. Tyler Soderstrom will likely hold down the fort at first base until Kurtz is ready to return to action.
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Athletics' Nick Kurtz: Remaining out Saturday
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Kurtz (oblique) isn't in the lineup for Saturday's game against Texas.
Oblique soreness forced Kurtz to make an early exit from Friday's game, and the issue is apparently severe enough to keep him from playing Saturday as well. While the 22-year-old rookie takes a day to recover, Tyler Soderstrom will shift to first base with Carlos Cortes patrolling left field.
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Athletics' Nick Kurtz: Exits early Friday
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Kurtz was removed from Friday's game against the Rangers with right oblique soreness, Martin Gallegos of MLB.com reports.
After scoring from second base during the third inning, Kurtz was replaced in the field to begin the fourth frame. The severity of his injury remains unknown, though the A's may play it safe and hold the rookie slugger out for a game or two. If that ends up being the case, Tyler Soderstrom and Brett Harris would be in play to start at first base.
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Athletics' Nick Kurtz: Homers off bench in win
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Kurtz hit a two-run home run in his lone at-bat in Monday's 8-3 win over the Tigers.
Kurtz was on the bench to begin this game against tough southpaw Tarik Skubal. Prior to Monday, Kurtz had gone 0-for-10 with two walks and four strikeouts over three games versus the Mariners. He was able to make an impact when he entered the game as a pinch hitter in the eighth inning, providing the Athletics' last runs of the game. The rookie first baseman is up to 27 long balls, 70 RBI, 66 runs scored, two stolen bases and a .308/398/.640 slash line through 91 contests this season, with his homer Monday being the 100th hit of his big-league career.
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Athletics' Nick Kurtz: Getting day off Monday
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Kurtz is absent from the lineup for Monday's contest versus the Tigers.
It's a routine day off for Kurtz, who went hitless during a series in Seattle this past weekend. Brett Harris is starting at first base and batting seventh in Kurtz's stead.
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Athletics' Nick Kurtz: Homers to extend streak
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Kurtz went 2-for-4 with a solo homer and an additional run scored in Thursday's 8-3 win over the Twins.
Kurtz extended the A's lead to 7-2 in the sixth inning with a 425-foot blast off Michael Tonkin, his 26th this season. With his two knocks Thursday, the rookie first baseman extended his hitting streak to six games -- he's gone 11-for-21 (.524) with three homers in that span. Kurtz has positioned himself as the favorite for AL Rookie of the Year by slashing .315/.404/.650 with 68 RBI and 65 runs scored across 367 plate appearances.
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Athletics' Nick Kurtz: Perfect day at dish
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Kurtz went 3-for-3 with two doubles, one RBI, a run scored and two walks in Tuesday's win over the Twins.
Kurtz continues to terrorize opposing pitchers with another big performance. He doubled in the first inning before walking and scoring a run in the third. He later knocked an RBI double in the sixth. Kurtz has gone 48-for-112 (.429) with 26 extra-base hits over his last 30 games, raising his season slash line to .313/.399/.645 through 356 plate appearances.
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Athletics' Nick Kurtz: Smacks homer in win
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Kurtz went 3-for-5 with a three-run home run, a double and three total runs scored in Friday's 10-3 win over the Angels.
The long ball was Kurtz's first since his historic four-homer game versus the Astros on July 25. He's been just fine since then, batting .278 with a .724 OPS the 15 games between homers, though he had an 11:20 BB:K in that span as well. The rookie first baseman is up to 24 homers, 65 RBI, 59 runs scored, 21 doubles, two stolen bases and a .305/.384/.631 slash line through 82 contests.
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Athletics' Nick Kurtz: Getting breather Wednesday
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Kurtz is not in the Athletics' starting lineup against the Rays on Wednesday.
Kurtz will begin Wednesday's game on the bench after starting in the Athletics' last 14 games, with Tyler Soderstrom shifting over to first base and batting in the cleanup spot. Over that 14-game span, Kurtz has gone 13-for-50 (.260) with 10 runs, two doubles and three RBI.
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Athletics' Nick Kurtz: Reaches base five times
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Kurtz went 3-for-4 with a double, two walks and four runs scored in Tuesday's win over the Nationals.
In a game in which the Athletics scored 16 runs, Kurtz was unable to drive anyone in despite a productive night at the dish. He did touch home plate four times, however. At just 22 years old, Kurtz has adapted to big-league pitching remarkably well and is hitting .486/.560/1.000 with eight homers, 21 RBI, 24 runs and two steals in 19 games since July 11.
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Athletics' Nick Kurtz: Back in lineup Monday
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Kurtz (lower body) is starting at first base and batting second against the Mariners on Monday.
Kurtz was held out of Sunday's series finale against the Astros while managing some lower-body fatigue. The 22-year-old first baseman has put it together at the plate and is in the midst of a 13-game hitting streak, highlighted by his 6-for-6 performance with four home runs, eight RBI and six runs against Houston on Friday.
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Athletics' Nick Kurtz: Managing fatigue
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Athletics manager Mark Kotsay said that Kurtz is out of the lineup for Sunday's game against the Astros due to lower-body soreness/fatigue, Martin Gallegos of MLB.com reports.
Kurtz went 2-for-4 with a walk and a run in Saturday's 5-1 win after his historic 6-for-6 performance Friday that included four home runs, eight RBI and six runs. The rookie will get a well-deserved break Sunday, with Kotsay characterizing Kurtz's absence from the lineup as more of a rest day, even though the skipper conceded that Kurtz was dealing with some fatigue. Kurtz will still be available off the bench Sunday and should return to the lineup for Monday's series opener versus the Mariners.
