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
Rotowire
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
Rotowire
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
Rotowire
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
Rotowire
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.
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Athletics' Nick Kurtz: Makes history with four homers
Rotowire
Kurtz went 6-for-6 with four home runs, a double, eight RBI and six runs in Friday's 15-3 win over the Astros.
In a dazzling performance, Kurtz become the 20th player in MLB history and the first rookie to hit four home runs in a single game. His first long ball came in the second inning, a two-run blast that padded the lead to 5-0. He added an RBI double in the fourth before turning up the power late with solo shots in the sixth and eighth frames. Kurtz capped the historic performance with a three-run blast off position player Cooper Hummel in the ninth. In addition to joining the four-homer club, Kurtz also accounted for 19 total bases, tying the all-time single-game mark Shawn Green established in his own four-homer performance for the Dodgers on May 23, 2002. Kurtz is on an incredible tear with nine home runs in his current 12-game hitting streak, during which he has hit .553 (26-for-47) with 20 RBI.
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Athletics' Nick Kurtz: Continues to mash
Rotowire
Kurtz went 2-for-3 with a solo home run, an additional run scored, a double and a walk in a loss to the Rangers on Monday.
The A's managed just five hits in the contest, with two of those coming off Kurtz's bat. Both of the young slugger's knocks went for extra bases, as he doubled in the fourth frame and belted a solo homer in the sixth. Kurtz tallied just one long ball across his first 23 big-league games, but his power stroke has blossomed since then. Over his past 39 contests, the rookie has 18 home runs, 12 doubles, 43 RBI and a .319/.404/.792 slash line.
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Athletics' Nick Kurtz: Goes deep in win
Rotowire
Kurtz went 2-for-4 with a two-run homer, a double and two runs scored in Sunday's win against Toronto.
Kurtz doubled and scored a run in the third inning before ripping a two-run shot in the fifth. After hitting one home run in his first 23 MLB contests, the rookie slugger has gone deep 16 times over his last 35 games. Kurtz hit five homers during the Athletics' nine-game homestand to close out the first half. He owns a .257/.333/.558 through 234 plate appearances.
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Athletics' Nick Kurtz: Homer, first career steal in loss
Rotowire
Kurtz went 2-for-4 with a two-run home run, a walk and a stolen base in Friday's 7-6 loss to the Blue Jays.
Kurtz sparked the Athletics' comeback effort with his homer in the sixth inning. While he's had a penchant for clutch blasts this year, he struck out swinging in the ninth, ending a rally one run short of tying the game. The first baseman also picked up the first steal of his career Friday, which is just the second theft in his time as a professional. In other words, don't count on him for speed. Kurtz has delivered just fine with power alone, slashing .251/.330/.543 with 16 homers, 42 RBI, 30 runs scored, eight doubles and one triple over 56 contests.
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Athletics' Nick Kurtz: Hits game-tying blast
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Kurtz went 1-for-3 with a solo home run, two walks and a second run scored in Thursday's 5-4 extra-innings win over Atlanta.
Kurtz tied the game at 4-4 in the eighth inning, answering Ozzie Albies' solo shot from the previous frame. Over the last six games, Kurtz has gone 6-for-21 (.286) with three homers, three doubles and eight RBI. He's up to 15 homers in 55 contests this season, which is all the more impressive considering he didn't hit a long ball over his first 16 big-league games. He's added a .246/.324/.528 slash line, 40 RBI, 29 runs scored, eight doubles and one triple across 222 plate appearances.
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Athletics' Nick Kurtz: Slugs grand slam Tuesday
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Kurtz went 2-for-3 with a grand slam, a double, a walk and two total runs scored in Tuesday's 10-1 win over Atlanta.
Kurtz turned this game into a romp with the second-inning grand slam to stretch the Athletics' lead to 9-0. He's up to 14 homers on the year, nine of which he's hit over his last 21 games. In that span, he's batting .286 (22-for-77) with 23 RBI and an 11:28 BB:K. Kurtz has a .250/.324/.527 slash line with 39 RBI and 27 runs scored over 53 contests this season. There's still a bit too much swing-and-miss in his profile, but he's made excellent contact when he connects -- he's in the 94th percentile for barrel rate (16.1 percent) and his 91.8 mph average exit velocity is in the 84th percentile, per Statcast.
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Athletics' Nick Kurtz: Powers A's in win
Rotowire
Kurtz went 3-for-3 with a three-run homer in Wednesday's 3-0 win over the Tigers.
Kurtz accounted for all of the offense Wednesday with one swing, launching a 438-foot blast off Jack Flaherty in the third inning to put the A's ahead for good. The rookie first baseman now has six homers and 12 RBI in his last 10 contests. Overall, Kurtz is slashing .255/.313/.523 with 11 homers, 28 RBI and 19 runs scored through his first 166 major-league plate appearances.
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Athletics' Nick Kurtz: Keeps power surge going
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Kurtz went 1-for-4 with a two-run home run in Friday's 5-1 win over the Guardians.
Kurtz took a break from his recent stretch of late homers, instead delivering a first-inning blast Friday. He's gone deep five times during his six-game hitting streak, accounting for half of his 10 long balls on the year. The first baseman has added a .252/.307/.526 slash line, 25 RBI and 18 runs scored over his first 150 plate appearances in the majors.
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Athletics' Nick Kurtz: Bashes game-winning homer
Rotowire
Kurtz went 2-for-4 with a solo homer in Sunday's 3-2 victory at Kansas City.
The 22-year-old rookie gave the Athletics a 3-2 lead with his 411-foot homer off Royals reliever Carlos Estevez in the ninth inning. This marks Kurtz's first homer since returning from a hip injury June 9, as he's now batting .142 (3-for-21) with no walks since that date. Overall, the Athletics first baseman is slashing .235/.295/.435 with six homers, 17 RBI and 12 runs scored across 129 total plate appearances.
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Athletics' Nick Kurtz: Returns from injured list
Rotowire
The Athletics activated Kurtz (hip) from the 10-day injured list Monday.
Kurtz has been sidelined since late May with a strained left hip flexor but is ready to roll after homering in his lone rehab game. The rookie first baseman has collected a .762 OPS with five long balls over 28 contests with the Athletics this season.
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Athletics' Nick Kurtz: Aiming to return June 9
Rotowire
Athletics general manager David Forst said Tuesday that the target date for Kurtz's (hip) return is June 9 for the start of their series against the Angels, Martin Gallegos of MLB.com reports.
Kurtz is not expected to resume running until Saturday as he recovers from a strained left hip flexor, so it's a surprise that he might be ready to be activated early next week. The Athletics have moved Tyler Soderstrom from left field back to first base to account for Kurtz's absence.
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Athletics' Nick Kurtz: Lands on injured list
Rotowire
The Athletics placed Kurtz on the 10-day injured list Tuesday, retroactive to May 25, due to a strained left hip flexor.
The 22-year-old suffered the injury during Saturday's game against the Angels and will spend at least the next week on the shelf. Logan Davidson was called up by the A's late last week and could see more action at first base while Kurtz is sidelined.
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Athletics' Nick Kurtz: Tweaks hip late Saturday
Rotowire
Athletics manager Mark Kotsay said that Kurtz was removed in the 10th inning of Saturday's 9-6 loss to the Phillies due to a left hip flexor injury, Martin Gallegos of MLB.com reports.
Kurtz went 2-for-3 with two walks, a run and an RBI before he was lifted for a pinch runner in the bottom of the 10th. Kostay labeled Kurtz as day-to-day, noting that the star rookie is set to be evaluated by the medical staff Sunday before a decision on his availability for the series finale is made.
