Joshua Kuroda-Grauer hitting fifth vs. D-backs

Kuroda-Grauer is facing a lengthy absence after undergoing emergency surgery to repair a ruptured testicle at a Phoenix-area hospital on Monday. The 23-year-old rookie infielder suffered the unfortunate injury when he fouled a ball directly off his groin a couple innings after launching his first career home run on Monday against the Diamondbacks. There should be a definitive return timetable at some point in the near future, but he’s probably going to be out a while. It’s a big loss for the Athletics since he was hitting .417 (25-for-60) through 16 games since being called up from Triple-A.

Never before has a player hit his first major league homer and been so miserable after the game. Kuroda-Grauer was hurt when he fouled a pitch off himself in the fifth, though he did stay in for another inning. Alika Williams will probably be needed to fill in for him Tuesday.

Kuroda-Grauer was replaced by Donovan Walton at third base after fouling a ball off an unfortunate location earlier in the contest. He was 2-for-3 with his first career home run prior to leaving the game in the sixth inning. It seems like a precautionary exit, but fantasy managers should check back in on his status leading into Tuesday’s showdown.

The first two hits were off Tarik Skubal. Most of the rest of the Athletics’ lineup didn’t fare as well, so Kuroda-Grauer went without a run scored or an RBI tonight. He’s off to a 12-for-26 start to his big-league career, and he’s struck out just twice to date. With his contact ability, he could remain quite strong in terms of batting average, though he probably won’t be as helpful elsewhere.

None of Kuroda-Grauer’s hits came on hard-hit balls. In fact, his 93-mph groundout in the third was his hardest-hit ball of the night. Still, he placed everything well. Kuroda-Grauer figures to mostly play against lefties for now, but if he excels, he could tempt the A’s to move on from Jeff McNeil. He should be in the lineup again Tuesday against Justin Wrobleski.

Kuroda-Grauer earns his first promotion to the majors after hitting .323/.367/.478 with seven homers and 15 steals in 365 plate appearances over 75 games for Triple-A Las Vegas. He doesn’t offer a ton of over-the-fence pop, but he’s consistently made excellent swing decisions in the upper minors. The 23-year-old rookie figures to get a look at shortstop, and several other infield spots, while starter Jacob Wilson is on the injured list with a thumb issue. He’s at second base and hitting ninth against the Dodgers in his big-league debut on Monday night.