HOUSTON -- It turns out that tying the Major League record with 19 total bases in a game and then getting on base another three times the next day can take its toll on the body.
After one of the greatest performances in Major League history on Friday night, Nick Kurtz was notably absent from the Athletics starting lineup for Sunday’s series finale against the Astros at Daikin Park. Before the game, manager Mark Kotsay explained the decision as a means of providing the rookie sensation with some much-needed rest.
“Nick’s been doing a lot of running lately,” Kotsay said. “A little more than he’s normally used to. You have to listen to your body and listen to the players who have been around the game a long time. There’s a little difference between soreness and just fatigue.”
Lost in what continues to be a record-breaking display of greatness by Kurtz is the fact he’s never played this much baseball in his life. Drafted fourth overall by the A’s in the 2024 MLB Draft, Kurtz is accustomed to a much lighter college baseball schedule. The most games he played over a single season in three years at Wake Forest was 56 in 2023.
Kurtz has eclipsed that total in his big league time alone this season with 67 games. If you include his Minor League games, that number grows to 88. He may not be showing it on the field or at the plate, as he is now slashing .355/.432/.861 with 22 home runs and 53 RBIs over his last 44 games dating back to May 20 -- which leads all Major League hitters in batting average and OPS (1.293) over that span -- but Kurtz has been feeling the wear and tear on his body, particularly his lower half. It’s why the A’s decided to give him a break from the field and instead start him at DH on Friday, which resulted in that perfect 6-for-6 performance with four home runs.
Kotsay mentioned Royals rookie Jac Caglianone, who was drafted two spots after Kurtz in last year’s Draft and landed on the injured list with a hamstring strain on Sunday, as a cautionary tale.
“Today was more of a day just to prevent that soreness from being something more,” Kotsay said. “Our best opportunity to do that is to give him a break right now.”
Kurtz’s rest will be brief. Kotsay said he was available off the bench Sunday, and the 22-year-old first baseman is expected back in the starting lineup for Monday’s series opener against the Mariners at Sutter Health Park.
“Young players have a hard time controlling that gauge of, if he gets out of the box and wants to stretch a single to a double, there’s a chance he could get hurt,” Kotsay said. “We saw it [Saturday] night when he stayed at first base on a ball that he hit off the wall to right field. You can see the fatigue catching up to him at this point. We’re going to manage it to allow him to play as many games as possible without getting on that IL.”
Kurtz admitted to feeling fatigued during his ongoing longest season of baseball and said he looks forward to a full offseason of conditioning his body to prepare for a full Major League season.
“I know what to expect now,” Kurtz said. “That’s going to be huge. … I’m learning as I go. I’m trying to figure out what I need to do in the training room and weight room to prepare myself each and every day, I’m learning from the guys who have been there and done that.
Another notable omission from Sunday’s lineup was Kurtz’s likely fellow AL Rookie of the Year competitor Jacob Wilson, who continues to deal with a left hand contusion that stems from getting hit by a pitch on July 8.
For Wilson, Sunday marked his second consecutive day out of the lineup. The hand issue coincides with his recent struggles at the plate. Since July 12, the All-Star shortstop is 4-for-38 (.105).
Kotsay said the A’s are not considering an IL placement for Wilson at this time and lauded the 23-year-old’s toughness to play through the injury.
“I tip my cap to the kid for playing through this,” Kotsay said. “It’s a pain tolerance thing. That said, it’s going to impact his swing and defensive abilities. … It’s not something where two weeks off is going to make it better. The read from the doctors is that if he can manage the pain, he can play.”