Seemingly out of the blue, the Athletics are expected to put All-Star first baseman Nick Kurtz on the 10-Day IL, according to MLB.com's Martin Gallegos.
The move comes as a surprise, considering Kurtz played in the team's 4-1 loss to the Detroit Tigers on Thursday. Although he left Wednesday's game against the Tigers due to an illness, there was no indication of an injury, even following Thursday's appearance.
According to Gallegos, Kurtz has been diagnosed with a right thumb capsule strain and is almost certain to be placed on the IL.
The timing of an IL stint is less than ideal for Kurtz, who was expected to start for the American League in the MLB All-Star Game on Tuesday. Kurtz was not voted to be a starter, but was expected to take the place of Vladimir Guerrero Jr, who opted out of the game to rest his ailing back. If Kurtz is on the IL, he would not be eligible for the game and would miss the first couple of games back from the break.
After getting off to a slow start, Kurtz is putting together an MVP-caliber season in his second year in the league. In 92 games, the 23-year-old is slashing .266/.405/.497 with 20 home runs, 66 RBI and seven stolen bases. He leads the American League in both walks and strikeouts, and put together a historic 48-game on-base streak earlier this year.
In addition to Kurtz, the Athletics also announced that Zach Gelof is headed to the IL with a knee laceration. Gelof suffered the injury after sliding into the outfield wall during Thursday's game. The Athletics have recalled infielder Joey Meneses to take Gelof's spot on the roster.
Needless to say, Kurtz is not in the Athletics' lineup on Friday despite not officially being placed on the IL. If Kurtz is unable to play in the All-Star Game, Ben Rice of the New York Yankees and Pete Alonso of the Baltimore Orioles have been floated as potential replacements.
