{"id":91231,"date":"2026-07-05T12:15:58","date_gmt":"2026-07-05T16:15:58","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/athletics-nick-kurtz-steps-in-as-al-all-star-starter-after-guerrero-bows-out\/"},"modified":"2026-07-05T12:15:58","modified_gmt":"2026-07-05T16:15:58","slug":"athletics-nick-kurtz-steps-in-as-al-all-star-starter-after-guerrero-bows-out","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/athletics-nick-kurtz-steps-in-as-al-all-star-starter-after-guerrero-bows-out\/","title":{"rendered":"Athletics’ Nick Kurtz Steps In as AL All-Star Starter After Guerrero Bows Out"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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Athletics first baseman Nick Kurtz has been tapped to start at first base for the American League in the upcoming All-Star Game, stepping in for Toronto Blue Jays slugger Vladimir Guerrero Jr., who is sitting out to nurse an ailing back.<\/p>

Guerrero had earned his spot through fan voting but made the decision to skip the midsummer classic in order to let his back recover ahead of the season’s second half. Kurtz, who holds the title of reigning AL Rookie of the Year, had received the highest vote total among AL first basemen on the player ballot, making him the natural replacement for the starting role.<\/p>

Back problems have been a recurring issue for Guerrero this season. He missed back-to-back games against the New York Yankees in mid-June when the injury flared up, and he also sat out a game against the New York Mets last Tuesday because of the same problem.<\/p>

Guerrero spoke about the tough call he had to make, saying, “It’s very difficult for me. But I really have to take care of myself and I’ve got to put my team first for the second half.” Those comments were reported by Sportsnet.<\/p>

The All-Star selection would have been the 27-year-old’s sixth in a row. Offensively, Guerrero has had a quieter year than usual, posting a .265 batting average with just four home runs and 35 RBIs across 82 games. That’s a notable dip from his usual power output \u2014 he has hit 23 or more home runs in each of the past five seasons, including a league-leading 48 back in 2021.<\/p>

Kurtz, 23, has been putting together a strong campaign of his own, hitting .278 with 20 home runs and 66 RBIs in 88 games this season.<\/p>

The All-Star Game is set to take place on July 14 in Philadelphia.<\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Oakland Athletics first baseman Nick Kurtz will take the starting spot at first base for the American League in the All-Star Game after Vladimir Guerrero Jr. withdrew due to a back injury. Guerrero, who had been voted in by fans for his sixth straight All-Star appearance, chose to rest and prepare for the second half of the season. The game is scheduled for July 14 in Philadelphia.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":91230,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[836],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-91231","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-sports"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/news-1783268157401.jpg?fit=450%2C300&ssl=1","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/pbtNqq-nJt","jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":25191,"url":"https:\/\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/athletics-al-rookie-of-the-year-nick-kurtz-prepares-for-sophomore-season\/","url_meta":{"origin":91231,"position":0},"title":"Athletics’ AL Rookie of the Year Nick Kurtz Prepares for Sophomore Season","author":"Admin","date":"February 22, 2026","format":false,"excerpt":"Oakland Athletics first baseman Nick Kurtz is gearing up for his second MLB season after winning AL Rookie of the Year honors at age 22. The towering slugger hit .290 with 36 home runs and became just the eighth rookie since 1901 to post an OPS over 1.000 with at\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Sports"","block_context":{"text":"Sports","link":"https:\/\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/category\/sports\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/news-1771795950171.jpg?fit=1000%2C666&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/news-1771795950171.jpg?fit=1000%2C666&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/news-1771795950171.jpg?fit=1000%2C666&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/news-1771795950171.jpg?fit=1000%2C666&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":57209,"url":"https:\/\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/oakland-as-blast-three-first-inning-home-runs-in-seven-pitches-against-texas\/","url_meta":{"origin":91231,"position":1},"title":"Oakland A’s Blast Three First-Inning Home Runs in Seven Pitches Against Texas","author":"Admin","date":"April 24, 2026","format":false,"excerpt":"The Oakland Athletics stunned the Texas Rangers Friday night by launching three consecutive solo home runs within the first seven pitches of the game. Nick Kurtz, Carlos Cortes, and Tyler Soderstrom each connected against Rangers starter Nathan Eovaldi in an explosive opening inning.","rel":"","context":"In "Sports"","block_context":{"text":"Sports","link":"https:\/\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/category\/sports\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/news-1777084584837.jpg?fit=1000%2C666&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/news-1777084584837.jpg?fit=1000%2C666&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/news-1777084584837.jpg?fit=1000%2C666&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/news-1777084584837.jpg?fit=1000%2C666&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":77495,"url":"https:\/\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/judges-injury-opens-door-for-new-al-mvp-contenders\/","url_meta":{"origin":91231,"position":2},"title":"Judge’s Injury Opens Door for New AL MVP Contenders","author":"Admin","date":"June 5, 2026","format":false,"excerpt":"New York Yankees star Aaron Judge's rib injury has dramatically shifted the American League MVP race, creating opportunities for new frontrunners. Houston's Yordan Alvarez now leads the betting odds, followed closely by Kansas City's Bobby Witt Jr.","rel":"","context":"In "Sports"","block_context":{"text":"Sports","link":"https:\/\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/category\/sports\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/news-1780708996534.jpg?fit=450%2C300&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":74103,"url":"https:\/\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/new-york-yankees-dominate-athletics-8-2-for-fifth-straight-victory\/","url_meta":{"origin":91231,"position":3},"title":"New York Yankees Dominate Athletics 8-2 for Fifth Straight Victory","author":"Admin","date":"May 30, 2026","format":false,"excerpt":"The New York Yankees crushed the Athletics 8-2 in West Sacramento, extending their winning streak to five games. Paul Goldschmidt launched a three-run homer while Ben Rice collected four hits in the dominant performance.","rel":"","context":"In "Sports"","block_context":{"text":"Sports","link":"https:\/\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/category\/sports\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/news-1780125772159.jpg?fit=450%2C300&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":36537,"url":"https:\/\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/athletics-sluggers-launch-three-straight-home-runs-in-spring-training\/","url_meta":{"origin":91231,"position":4},"title":"Athletics Sluggers Launch Three Straight Home Runs in Spring Training","author":"Admin","date":"March 13, 2026","format":false,"excerpt":"Three Oakland Athletics batters connected for back-to-back-to-back home runs off San Diego pitcher Michael King during Friday's Cactus League contest in Arizona. Despite the impressive offensive display, the Padres ultimately prevailed 13-9.","rel":"","context":"In "Sports"","block_context":{"text":"Sports","link":"https:\/\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/category\/sports\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/news-1773448588523.jpg?fit=1000%2C666&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/news-1773448588523.jpg?fit=1000%2C666&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/news-1773448588523.jpg?fit=1000%2C666&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/news-1773448588523.jpg?fit=1000%2C666&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":43594,"url":"https:\/\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/former-blue-hen-lacrosse-star-kurtz-joins-boston-cannons\/","url_meta":{"origin":91231,"position":5},"title":"Former Blue Hen Lacrosse Star Kurtz Joins Boston Cannons","author":"Admin","date":"March 27, 2026","format":false,"excerpt":"University of Delaware lacrosse graduate Tye Kurtz has been picked up by the Boston Cannons in the Premier Lacrosse League. 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