SerpApi.Org
The Athletics entered the 2026 season with a lineup teeming with talent, including Nick Kurtz, Shea Langeliers, Tyler Soderstrom, Brent Rooker, and Lawrence Butler.
For the last three weeks, rookie and former third-round pick Joshua Kuroda-Grauer has been the team's hottest bat: the 23-year-old infielder has 25 hits in his first 60 MLB at-bats, launching his first MLB home run against the Arizona Diamondbacks on Monday night.
His day quickly took a turn: Kuroda-Grauer's ruptured his testicle after fouling off the first pitch of his fifth-inning at-bat against Diamondbacks pitcher Mitch Bratt directly off his cup.
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He cowered over in immense pain as the team doctor and manager Mark Kotsay came to check on him. Fans in the crowd gasped.
A's play-by-play man Chris Caray couldn't help but crack a joke. “It looks like he will come up with no balls and one strike,” he said as the Kuroda-Grauer returned to the box.
After a minute on the floor, the A's rookie gave the team doctor the green light to let him stay in before lacing a single to continue his hot streak.
Donovan Walton replaced Kuroda-Grauer at third base. After the game, the A's rookie was taken to a hospital and received surgery for a testicular contusion. Unsurprisingly, he landed on the injured list.
The slumping Athletics entered the 2026 MLB season hoping to reach the playoffs for the first time since 2020. A recent 2-8 stretch has sent the team to a 43-57 overall record, well out of the American League Wild Card race.
Kuroda-Grauer's hot-hitting benefitted a lineup that still ranks amongst baseball's best, but a suspect staff, not helped by pitching in the A's barnbox of a minor league stadium in West Sacramento, is among baseball's worst.
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Kuroda-Grauer is far from the only player to be hit where the sun doesn't shine. MLB Hall of Famer Adrian Beltre took a ground ball to the cup during his time with the Los Angeles Dodgers.
When I look down, after the game, it wasn’t a pretty sight,” Beltré said then. “My testicle got the size of a grapefruit. Thank God it didn’t really damage anything. It took me two weeks. It was a tear. A lot of blood inside, but it didn’t damage anything.”
