Nick Kurtz, the All-Star first baseman for the Athletics, is set to keep a brace on his damaged right thumb until early September at the earliest, putting the remainder of his 2026 campaign in serious doubt.
On Tuesday, manager Mark Kotsay provided reporters with an update on the situation, expressing little hope regarding Kurtz’s potential return to the field this year.
“He will have no mobility for four weeks,” Kotsay stated concerning Kurtz, according to MLB.com’s Martín Gallegos. “It is fairly easy to look at that timeline and map out the likely outcomes for Nick.”
This marks the second time Kurtz has been placed on the injured list because of this thumb issue, which previously sidelined him for 10 matchups in July. The medical staff diagnosed the damage as an acute on chronic volar plate tear within his right thumb’s MCP joint, leading to his August 4 designation.
On August 4, Kurtz underwent a successful platelet-rich plasma injection, which Kotsay noted was completed without issue. Nonetheless, the power hitter must remain in a brace for a full month post-injection, keeping him sidelined until the start of September at a minimum.
After the brace comes off, Kurtz will still have to rebuild strength in his wrist and restore his overall physical conditioning for baseball activities, leaving him with a very narrow window of time. Even if he manages to accelerate his recovery before the regular season concludes on September 27, he would be joining an Athletics squad that held a dismal 47-72 record as of Monday, marking the second-worst performance in the American League.
Consequently, with the Athletics entirely out of postseason contention, the organization has virtually no reason to rush their young star back to action, making it highly probable that his year is over.
Assuming his 2026 campaign has indeed ended, Kurtz will wrap up his sophomore season having been a rare highlight during a difficult year for an Athletics franchise currently operating in transitional venues while awaiting construction of its new stadium in Las Vegas.
Building on his standout 2025 Rookie of the Year performance, Kurtz earned his maiden All-Star nod in 2026. Over the course of 99 appearances, he produced a batting line of .256/.296/.483, contributing 21 homers, 69 RBIs, 7 steals, and drawing 79 free passes. Although these numbers dipped from the .290/.383/.619 slash line that brought him a Silver Slugger award as a rookie, he remains a highly promising foundational piece for the future of the Athletics.
