The Oakland Athletics have reinstated All-Star first baseman Nick Kurtz from the 10-day injured list, clearing him to play in Saturday’s road matchup against the Minnesota Twins.
Kurtz suffered a right thumb capsule sprain and was placed on the injured list on July 10. The injury cost him a spot in the All-Star Game, where he had been elevated to American League starter after Vladimir Guerrero Jr. of the Toronto Blue Jays withdrew due to a back issue.
In his return, Kurtz is slotted into the second spot in the batting order and will serve as the designated hitter on Saturday.
The injury appeared to occur during a July 8 game at Detroit, when Kurtz left a 6-1 loss after just one and a half innings. He seemed to hurt his hand while attempting to field a throw in the bottom of the first inning. The next day, he was used as the designated hitter but went hitless in four at-bats with two strikeouts in another loss to the Tigers, 4-1.
The 23-year-old is posting a .266 batting average this season with 20 home runs and 66 RBIs through 92 games. Last year, Kurtz was the unanimous American League Rookie of the Year, hitting .290 with 36 home runs and 86 RBIs in just 117 games.
To make room on the roster, third baseman Max Muncy was optioned to Triple-A Las Vegas. Muncy had been recalled by the Athletics earlier in the week but struggled, going 0-for-3 with three strikeouts across two games. The 23-year-old is batting .223 this season with five home runs and 20 RBIs in 48 games, and carries a .218 average over 111 major league games during the past two seasons.
