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Stats

Nick Kurtz gets a breather against Angels Sunday

Athletics Photo Day

Nick Kurtz

ATH 1st Baseman #16

Player Stats

Nick Kurtz is absent from the Athletics’ starting lineup for Sunday’s matchup against the Angels.

The A’s will get their superstar first baseman a breather with left-hander Sam Aldegheri on the slab for the Angels. Expect him to make an appearance off the bench should a key late-game situation arise. Joey Meneses will start in his place at first base and will bat second for the A’s on Sunday afternoon in Los Angeles.

- David Shovein

Source: MLB

More Nick Kurtz News

Who can challenge Schwarber for first to 40 HRs?

Drew Dinsick and Vaughn Dalzell review who's most likely to challenge the Philadelphia Phillies' Kyle Schwarber in reaching 40 home runs first. Other sluggers to keep eyes on are Yordan Alvarez and Junior Caminero.

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Nick Kurtz

ATH 1st Baseman #16

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Nick Kurtz is day-to-day with an illness.

Athletics manager Mark Kotsay told reporters Kurtz was throwing up in the dugout which led to his removal from Wednesday’s game against the Tigers. The 23-year-old All-Star first baseman is the latest player to be sidelined by a stomach bug that has recently made its way through the Athletics clubhouse. The positive news is that he should be ready to return once he’s feeling better.
Nick Kurtz

ATH 1st Baseman #16

Nick Kurtz was removed from Wednesday’s game against the Tigers with an illness.

It’s a significant relief that Kurtz isn’t dealing with an injury after he appeared to jam his hand trying to field an errant throw from teammate Zack Gelof in the opening frame. He was replaced by Jeff McNeil at first base in the second inning. The 23-year-old on-base machine is slated to start next week’s All-Star Game at first base for the American League. Fantasy managers should consider him day-to-day heading into Thursday’s series finale in Detroit.
Nick Kurtz

ATH 1st Baseman #16

Nick Kurtz will move into the AL’s starting lineup for the All-Star Game with Vladimir Guerrero Jr. sitting out.

Kurtz is most deserving. He ranks first in the majors with 66 RBI and second in the AL with a .949 OPS. A’s Communications notes that, with Shea Lanegeliers catching, this will be the first time the franchise has had two All-Star starters since Rickey and David Henderson in 1991.
Joey Meneses

ATH 1st Baseman #84

Athletics optioned INF Joey Meneses to Triple-A Las Vegas.

The Athletics need some catching depth with Shea Langeliers’ (thumb) availability in question, so Meneses will head back to the minors and be replaced by Brian Serven on the active roster.
Nick Kurtz

ATH 1st Baseman #16

Nick Kurtz went 2-for-3 and blasted his 20th home run of the season on Friday night, but it wasn’t enough to power the Athletics past the visiting Marlins.

Kurtz led off the home half of the first inning with a single but wound up getting stranded at third. He then got the A’s on the board with his majestic 457-foot (112.9-mph EV) two-run shot off of Tyler Phillips in the third inning. Kurtz also walked in the contest. The 23-year-old slugger has been a revelation this season, slashing a monstrous .283/.425/.527 with 20 long balls and 66 RBI.
Nick Kurtz

ATH 1st Baseman #16

Nick Kurtz collected two hits and two RBI as the A’s topped the Angels 9-3 on Friday.

Kurtz also had a 370-foot flyout to left that would have been a homer in 16 ballparks, according to Statcast. He’s hitting .261/.393/.602 with nine homers this month, and though he’s not a finalist in the AL All-Star balloting in first base, it would be quite the shocker if he doesn’t represent the A’s next month.
Nick Kurtz

ATH 1st Baseman #16

Nick Kurtz went 2-for-4 with a walk, a home run, two runs scored, and three RBI in a loss to the Angels on Sunday.

Kurtz hit his 19th home run of the season with a seventh-inning blast that put the Athletics up by three runs. The big first baseman has enjoyed a tremendous June, going 21-for-71 (.296) with nine home runs and 20 RBI. His slow first two weeks of the season are a long way in the rearview mirror.
Joey Meneses

ATH 1st Baseman #84

Athletics selected the contract of 1B Joey Meneses from Triple-A Las Vegas.

Meneses receives his first opportunity in the big leagues since his time with the Nationals back in 2024. The 34-year-old first baseman gets a look in a bench role with the Athletics after hitting an absurd .347 with 11 round-trippers in 34 games at Triple-A Las Vegas.
Joey Meneses

ATH 1st Baseman #84

The Athletics are calling up Joey Meneses from Triple-A Las Vegas, according to MLB.com’s Martín Gallegos.

It’s been a hot minute since Meneses was an interesting fantasy option, but landing in extremely hitter-friendly Sutter Health Park in West Sacramento gives him a shot at deep-league relevance. The 34-year-old veteran hasn’t appeared in the big leagues since he was with the Nationals back in 2024. He earns another shot after hitting .347 with 11 round-trippers in 34 games at Triple-A Las Vegas.
Nick Kurtz

ATH 1st Baseman #16

Nick Kurtz walked with the bases loaded in the bottom of the 10th to help the Athletics to a 12-11 win over the Angels on Friday.

The Athletics trailed this game 11-4 at one point, but they scored two runs in the seventh, eighth and ninth — along with one in the sixth — to tie it up. With the bases loaded, Kurtz laid off a Samy Natara Jr. offering to give the A’s the walk-off win. Kurtz has driven in 58 runs to go with an outstanding slash of .287/.436/.544 with just five games left for the A’s until the halfway point.

Rotoworld

Zack Littell

WSH Starting Pitcher #18
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Carson Palmquist will open Friday’s game against the Yankees on Friday, with Zack Littell likely appearing as a bulk reliever.

It’s the same thing that happened on Saturday. Even with the Yankees struggling and the increased win chances, streaming Littell would be a bold move. Littell inherited three runners from Palmquist in the second inning last outing and allowed all three of them to score.
- Rivers McCown

Source: Spencer Nusbaum
Carson Palmquist
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Sonny Gray

BOS Starting Pitcher #54
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The Athletic’s Ken Rosenthal reports the Braves have expressed interest in Red Sox RHP Sonny Gray.

The complicating factor here is that the Red Sox may not sell if they turn things around — three wild card teams have been a disincentive for early trades — and they seem to be showing some sparks of life lately. Gray hails from Nashville and would presumably waive his no-trade clause to go to the Braves. It would seem to be a good match, given Atlanta’s banged up rotation, if the Red Sox do sell.
- Rivers McCown

Source: The Athletic
Atlanta Braves
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Mick Abel

MIN Starting Pitcher #20
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The Athletic’s Dan Hayes reports there’s still no timeline for Mick Abel (elbow) to return.

Abel underwent a bone shaving, per Abel, and is optimistic that he can return at some point this year. Abel doesn’t necessarily need to be kept in fantasy leagues if you’re in an IL crunch, but it sounds like there’s a real chance he returns.
- Rivers McCown

Injury

Source: Dan Hayes

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Anthony Banda

MIN Relief Pitcher #43
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Anthony Banda (lat) said he underwent surgery and is out for the remainder of the season.

Banda finishes with a 4.46 ERA, 1.34 WHIP, and 33/15 K/BB ratio in 34 1/3 innings for the Twins. 33 in August, Banda said he expects to be available for spring training. The Twins have arbitration rights on Banda and can bring him back if they so choose.
- Rivers McCown

Injury

Source: Dan Hayes

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Munetaka Murakami

CWS 1st Baseman #5
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MLB.com’s Scott Merkin reports Munetaka Murakami (hamstring) should be back in the White Sox lineup on Friday.

Murakami, who has been out since late May, has played two straight games in Triple-A Charlotte. If this report is true, Murakami would get a handful of at-bats this weekend before the All-Star Break hits. Merkin speculates that Jacob Gonzalez being demoted would seem “the likely move.”
- Rivers McCown

Injury

Source: MLB.com
Jacob Gonzalez
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Giancarlo Stanton

NYY Designated Hitter #27
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Yankees GM Brian Cashman said Giancarlo Stanton (calf) had a new injury in the same calf area, and added that he just started running again.

Stanton’s “setback” was a different injury to the same calf area. Regardless, it’s good news that he’s running again. We won’t get a good timetable on his comeback until he actually starts doing baseball activities, and Stanton figures to need a long rehab assignment to be ready.
- Rivers McCown

Injury

Source: Erik Boland

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Jordan Walker

STL Right Fielder #18
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Jordan Walker will participate in the 2026 Home Run Derby.

He joins known competitors Jac Caglianone, Junior Caminero, and Ben Rice. Walker has had a breakout first half of the season, hitting .294/.355/.534 with a career-high 21 homers. He leads the league with 70 RBI, and has even chipped in 12 stolen bases in becoming one of fantasy baseball’s biggest success stories.
- Rivers McCown

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Freddy Fermin

SD Catcher #54
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Freddy Fermin (head) went 1-for-4 with an RBI on Wednesday for Triple-A El Paso.

He began a rehab assignment there last night and figures to be activated in the near future, though it’s worth noting he DHed and has not caught in a game yet.
- Rivers McCown

Injury

Source: San Diego Union-Tribune

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Aaron Judge

NYY Right Fielder #99
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Yankees GM Brian Cashman said Aaron Judge (rib) will get new imaging done during the All-Star break.

This broadly keeps the expected timeline in line. Judge hasn’t begun baseball activities yet and figures to need some time to ramp up. Assuming the imaging comes back well enough for him to begin activities, Judge is probably on pace for a late July or early August return.
- Rivers McCown

Injury

Source: Erik Boland

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Jarren Duran

BOS Left Fielder #16
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Jarren Duran is not in Boston’s starting lineup for Thursday afternoon’s game against the White Sox.

It’s a bit of a surprise given how good Duran has been of late — he even inched his batting average above .200 briefly on Tuesday — but the Red Sox are going full bench lineup today against LHP Anthony Kay. Nate Eaton is in left field.
- Rivers McCown

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