Athletics rookie infielder Joshua Kuroda-Grauer, less than two months removed from suffering a ruptured testicle and undergoing surgery, will begin a rehab assignment with Triple-A Las Vegas on Friday. Kuroda-Grauer's injury came against the Arizona Diamondbacks just after the All-Star break, during which he fouled a pitch off of a sensitive area. He crumbled to the ground in a heap afterwards, though he eventually got up and finished the at-bat—logging a single.
He went on to play a half inning in the field afterwards, but had to leave the game to receive treatment the following inning. Now, less than two months after suffering the injury and undergoing surgery, Kuroda-Grauer will resume playing baseball. The A's plan on keeping him in Triple-A for the remainder of the regular season, and hope he will be 100% ready to go come the beginning of the 2027 season, per MLB.com's Martin Gallegos.
Kuroda, a third-round draft pick in 2024, played just 16 games for the A's before his injury, but made quite the impression during his brief MLB stint. He logged 60 at-bats during his time in the majors, logging 25 hits, while hitting a singular homer with four RBIs. His 1.019 OPS leads all A's players on the season.
Kuroda-Grauer roved he could do it at any level this season, starting the year in Double-A and posting a .813 OPS before moving to Las Vegas for 42 games, during which he posted an .866 OPS. While Kuroda-Grauer made a case for himself to make the Opening Day roster next season, finding a spot in the infield may be difficult for him. He has experience playing every position but first, though, so he has options.
All-Star and Silver Slugger Nick Kurtz will play just about every game at first base next year if he's healthy, and Jacob Wilson will command most of the time at shortstop after receiving his long-term extension last offseason. Zach Gelof is a frontrunner for the second base position, though he can also play in the outfield if the A's need depth beyond the infield. Donovan Walton and Alika Williams both joined the A's this season off waivers, and have done enough to warrant consideration for a future with the team as well.
None of those players play third base, though, and Kuroda-Grauer could make his living at the hot corner for the A's. 24-year-old Max Muncy is his only real competition at third, but the second-year first baseman is having a rough season after a promising spring training campaign. If Kuroda-Grauer has a solid end to the season in Triple-A and can come back next season with a strong spring performance, he will almost definitely find himself among the A's starters.
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