The Athletics are calling up Nick Kurtz, the No. 4 pick in last year’s MLB draft, for their game against the Texas Rangers on Wednesday, a league source confirmed to The Athletic on Monday.
The first baseman will be the third player from last year’s draft to debut in the major leagues, following Houston Astros outfielder Cam Smith and Los Angeles Angels reliever Ryan Johnson earlier this season.
Advertisement
Like Smith, 22-year-old Kurtz will make his major-league debut with only 32 career minor-league games played. Despite a pro debut season that was cut short last summer by a hamstring strain, Kurtz was assigned to Triple-A Las Vegas to start this season, having played in just five Double-A games before sustaining a hamstring strain in late August. He recovered from that injury in time to play 13 games in the Arizona Fall League, hitting .353 with three doubles, two triples, two home runs, nine walks and 16 strikeouts.
In 20 games so far this year for Las Vegas, Kurtz has batted .321/.385/.655 with seven doubles, 10 walks and 26 strikeouts. He leads all minor leaguers with seven home runs and 24 RBIs.
The legend of Nick Kurtz grows—
A’s No. 1 prospect just sent his 7th bomb into orbit.
Towering shot. Center field. MVP energy#AviatorsUp pic.twitter.com/lU53nMOj8h— Las Vegas Aviators (@AviatorsLV) April 13, 2025
With Tyler Soderstrom red-hot at first base right now, tied for the MLB lead in home runs (nine), it isn’t immediately clear where Kurtz will get his regular at-bats, although Brent Rooker has seen time in the outfield lately, leaving open the possibility that Kurtz and Soderstrom will split time at first and designated hitter.
MLB.com was first to report the news of Kurtz’s promotion.
Kurtz, the A’s top prospect, was one of three players from Wake Forest taken among the top 10 picks of last year’s draft. Chase Burns was selected at No. 2 by the Cincinnati Reds and Seaver King at No. 10 by the Washington Nationals. Only Burns (No. 40) was ranked among the top 100 prospects entering this season by The Athletic’s Keith Law. Kurtz, ranked 35th, is a selective hitter who Law said “makes extremely hard contact; his 90th percentile exit velocity at Wake Forest was over 111 mph, and he continued to hit the ball hard in his brief time in the minors. There’s a good chance for 30-homer power with 70-80 walks or more per season, and that’s going to make him a star and possibly the best player in the Sacra … er, the Athletics lineup.”
Advertisement
Recently, Kurtz has posted a chase rate of 23.4 percent and has taken 7.4 percent of pitches thrown to him with two strikes, aligning with his reputation for being selective. It could be something to watch in the big leagues given rookies don’t often get the benefit of the doubt on close pitches.
(Photo: Candice Ward / Getty Images)
This news was originally published on this post .
About the author
Adam Silver says NBA will make decision on expansion in 2026, cites Seattle and Las Vegas as possibilities
The NBA has been flirting with expansion for years now, but Adam Silver says a decision is coming in 2026.The NBA commissioner told reporters Tuesday before the NBA Cup championship game the league will make a "determination" about domestic expansion next year. He specifically named Seattle and Las Vegas as possibilities for new teams, citing Seattle's past with the SuperSonics and the many NBA-connected activities already held in Vegas.AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementHis comments:"I think Seattle and Las Vegas are two incredible cities. Obviously, we had a team in Seattle that had great success. We have a WNBA team in Las Vegas in the Aces. We've been playing the Summer League here for 20 years. Playing our Cup games here, so we're very familiar with this market. I don't have any doubt that Las Vegas is, despite all the major league teams here and […]
No. 20 Tennessee snaps 3-game losing streak while holding high-octane No. 11 Louisville to 62 points
Louisville entered Knoxville averaging 94.3 points per game this season, the seventh most of any team in the country. The No. 11 Cardinals had gone over the century mark four times. They had just sniffed it with 99 points against Memphis three days earlier, and they put up 87 a week before that in a victory over then-No. 22 Indiana.But without primary ball-handler and NBA prospect Mikel Brown Jr., who was sidelined with a lower-back injury, Louisville didn't establish the offensive rhythm Tuesday night at Tennessee that's made Pat Kelseys' Cardinals tick.AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementTheir wings were clipped by a suffocating defense that helped the No. 20 Volunteers end their three-game skid with an 83-62 triumph. Rick Barnes hadn't dropped four games in a row since his first season leading Tennessee in 2015-16. He had his guys firing on all cylinders and guarding […]
Steelers dominate Dolphins + Micah Parsons’ injury impact (ft. Richard Sherman & Kam Chancellor)
Subscribe to Inside CoverageShould we believe in the Pittsburgh Steelers after their MNF win? Yahoo Sports' Andrew Siciliano, Jori Epstein and Frank Schwab discuss Steelers' playoff chances and Tua Tagovailoa's future with the Miami Dolphins. Also, did the New England Patriots need to lose to the Buffalo Bills on Sunday to strengthen their playoff run? Plus, Andrew sits down with Legion of Boom members Richard Sherman and Kam Chancellor to discuss the 2025 NFL season along with their thoughts on the state of the Seattle Seahawks. Closing things out, the crew breaks down Frank's latest playoff projections before talking about their "One More Thing".AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisement(7:12) - Steelers MNF win over Dolphins(18:30) - Did the Patriots need to lose to the Bills?(24:14) - Richard Sherman & Kam Chancellor join the show!(37:13) - How will the Packers move on without Micah Parsons?(43:32) - […]
The Three Biggest Disappointments of the 2025 NFL Season
Dec 11, 2025; Tampa, Florida, USA; Atlanta Falcons head coach Raheem Morris looks on against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers during the third quarter at Raymond James Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement Neitzel-Imagn Images We’ve made it to the final three weeks of the NFL season. At this point, we have a pretty decent idea of how teams are. Teams like the Broncos and Patriots have to be excited with how their seasons have gone, while the Chiefs and Lions must be disappointed in their likely playoff misses. Those teams aren’t close to being the biggest disappointments in 2025. The Lions are still an excellent playoff team, who could sneak into the playoffs, and the Chiefs have been a dynasty for nearly the last decade, so they can’t be too crushed by one bad season. Here are the three teams most […]
Oilers’ Leon Draisaitl becomes first German to reach 1,000 points
Dec 16, 2025; Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA; Edmonton Oilers left wing Zach Hyman (18) congratulates center Leon Draisaitl (29) on his 1000th career NHL point which was an assist against the Pittsburgh Penguins during the first period at PPG Paints Arena. Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images Edmonton Oilers forward Leon Draisaitl on Tuesday became the first German-born player to reach 1,000 points in his NHL career. Draisaitl recorded a secondary assist on Zach Hyman's goal during a 5-on-3 power play at 11:38 of the first period in Edmonton's game against the host Pittsburgh Penguins. The Oilers' players on the bench jumped on the ice to celebrate with Draisaitl. Draisaitl wasn't done, however. as he set up superstar captain Connor McDavid's power-play goal just 14 seconds later to give Edmonton a 2-0 lead. Draisaitl, 30, has totaled 1,001 points (416 goals, 585 […]
Boxing star Terence Crawford (42-0, 18 titles) announces retirement
Sep 13, 2025; Las Vegas, Nevada, USA; Canelo Alvarez (black/gold trunks) and Terence Crawford (black/red trunks) box during their super middleweight title bout at Allegiant Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Joe Camporeale-Imagn Images Undefeated boxing star Terence Crawford announced his retirement from the sport Tuesday. "Walking away as a great with nothing else left to prove," he said in a post on X. Crawford reached the top of the sport before leaving the ring. He won the biggest fight of his career in September when he defeated Mexican great Canelo Alvarez to become the undisputed super middleweight world champion. That victory made Crawford the first boxer in modern history to be an undisputed champion in three divisions (light welterweight, welterweight, super middleweight). Crawford, 38, retires 42-0 all time with an impressive 31 wins via knockout. He won 18 major world championships across […]
Related
Adam Silver says NBA will make decision on expansion in 2026, cites Seattle and Las Vegas as possibilities
The NBA has been flirting with expansion for years now, but Adam Silver says a decision is coming in 2026.The NBA commissioner told reporters Tuesday before the NBA Cup championship game the league will make a "determination" about domestic expansion next year. He specifically named Seattle and Las Vegas as possibilities for new teams, citing Seattle's past with the SuperSonics and the many NBA-connected activities already held in Vegas.AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementHis comments:"I think Seattle and Las Vegas are two incredible cities. Obviously, we had a team in Seattle that had great success. We have a WNBA team in Las Vegas in the Aces. We've been playing the Summer League here for 20 years. Playing our Cup games here, so we're very familiar with this market. I don't have any doubt that Las Vegas is, despite all the major league teams here and […]
No. 20 Tennessee snaps 3-game losing streak while holding high-octane No. 11 Louisville to 62 points
Louisville entered Knoxville averaging 94.3 points per game this season, the seventh most of any team in the country. The No. 11 Cardinals had gone over the century mark four times. They had just sniffed it with 99 points against Memphis three days earlier, and they put up 87 a week before that in a victory over then-No. 22 Indiana.But without primary ball-handler and NBA prospect Mikel Brown Jr., who was sidelined with a lower-back injury, Louisville didn't establish the offensive rhythm Tuesday night at Tennessee that's made Pat Kelseys' Cardinals tick.AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementTheir wings were clipped by a suffocating defense that helped the No. 20 Volunteers end their three-game skid with an 83-62 triumph. Rick Barnes hadn't dropped four games in a row since his first season leading Tennessee in 2015-16. He had his guys firing on all cylinders and guarding […]
Steelers dominate Dolphins + Micah Parsons’ injury impact (ft. Richard Sherman & Kam Chancellor)
Subscribe to Inside CoverageShould we believe in the Pittsburgh Steelers after their MNF win? Yahoo Sports' Andrew Siciliano, Jori Epstein and Frank Schwab discuss Steelers' playoff chances and Tua Tagovailoa's future with the Miami Dolphins. Also, did the New England Patriots need to lose to the Buffalo Bills on Sunday to strengthen their playoff run? Plus, Andrew sits down with Legion of Boom members Richard Sherman and Kam Chancellor to discuss the 2025 NFL season along with their thoughts on the state of the Seattle Seahawks. Closing things out, the crew breaks down Frank's latest playoff projections before talking about their "One More Thing".AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisement(7:12) - Steelers MNF win over Dolphins(18:30) - Did the Patriots need to lose to the Bills?(24:14) - Richard Sherman & Kam Chancellor join the show!(37:13) - How will the Packers move on without Micah Parsons?(43:32) - […]
The Three Biggest Disappointments of the 2025 NFL Season
Dec 11, 2025; Tampa, Florida, USA; Atlanta Falcons head coach Raheem Morris looks on against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers during the third quarter at Raymond James Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement Neitzel-Imagn Images We’ve made it to the final three weeks of the NFL season. At this point, we have a pretty decent idea of how teams are. Teams like the Broncos and Patriots have to be excited with how their seasons have gone, while the Chiefs and Lions must be disappointed in their likely playoff misses. Those teams aren’t close to being the biggest disappointments in 2025. The Lions are still an excellent playoff team, who could sneak into the playoffs, and the Chiefs have been a dynasty for nearly the last decade, so they can’t be too crushed by one bad season. Here are the three teams most […]
Oilers’ Leon Draisaitl becomes first German to reach 1,000 points
Dec 16, 2025; Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA; Edmonton Oilers left wing Zach Hyman (18) congratulates center Leon Draisaitl (29) on his 1000th career NHL point which was an assist against the Pittsburgh Penguins during the first period at PPG Paints Arena. Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images Edmonton Oilers forward Leon Draisaitl on Tuesday became the first German-born player to reach 1,000 points in his NHL career. Draisaitl recorded a secondary assist on Zach Hyman's goal during a 5-on-3 power play at 11:38 of the first period in Edmonton's game against the host Pittsburgh Penguins. The Oilers' players on the bench jumped on the ice to celebrate with Draisaitl. Draisaitl wasn't done, however. as he set up superstar captain Connor McDavid's power-play goal just 14 seconds later to give Edmonton a 2-0 lead. Draisaitl, 30, has totaled 1,001 points (416 goals, 585 […]
Boxing star Terence Crawford (42-0, 18 titles) announces retirement
Sep 13, 2025; Las Vegas, Nevada, USA; Canelo Alvarez (black/gold trunks) and Terence Crawford (black/red trunks) box during their super middleweight title bout at Allegiant Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Joe Camporeale-Imagn Images Undefeated boxing star Terence Crawford announced his retirement from the sport Tuesday. "Walking away as a great with nothing else left to prove," he said in a post on X. Crawford reached the top of the sport before leaving the ring. He won the biggest fight of his career in September when he defeated Mexican great Canelo Alvarez to become the undisputed super middleweight world champion. That victory made Crawford the first boxer in modern history to be an undisputed champion in three divisions (light welterweight, welterweight, super middleweight). Crawford, 38, retires 42-0 all time with an impressive 31 wins via knockout. He won 18 major world championships across […]
Be the first to leave a comment