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Athletics 1B Nick Kurtz (thumb) returns to injured list

By Thomson Reuters Aug 4, 2026 | 3:10 PM

The Athletics placed All-Star first baseman Nick Kurtz on the 10-day injured list in a flurry of moves on Tuesday.

Kurtz’s transaction is retroactive to Saturday. He visited a hand specialist ​Monday in Los Angeles about his injured right thumb and ‌now heads back to the IL for the second time this summer.

The A’s also placed left-hander Jeffrey Springs (right hip discomfort) on the 15-day injured list, reinstated right-hander J.T. Ginn from the IL and recalled third baseman Max Muncy from Triple-A Las ‌Vegas. ​Left-hander Ben Bowden was designated for assignment and ⁠right-hander Chen Zhong-Ao Zhuang ⁠was outrighted to Las Vegas after clearing waivers.

Kurtz, 23, was diagnosed with a chronic volar plate tear of the MCP joint in the thumb and is undergoing an ultrasound-guided, platelet-rich plasma injection, per MLB.com.

The ​injury originally landed Kurtz on the IL from July 10-24 but he continued to have troubles after his return, going 1-for-18 with ⁠one homer and 11 strikeouts in seven ⁠games.

Over his last 12 games, Kurtz is 1-for-36 with ​20 strikeouts to drop his season average to .256. The 2025 American League Rookie ​of the Year and 2026 All-Star has 21 homers and ‌a team-best 69 RBIs in 99 games.

Springs, 33, is tied for the major league lead with 11 losses and 28 home runs allowed, posting a 6.17 ERA and 1.481 WHIP in 22 starts. He is ⁠winless over his last 18 starts.

Ginn, 27, has been sidelined since July 18 with a blister on the middle finger of his pitching hand. He is ⁠8-6 this season ‌with a 3.46 ERA in 22 games (19 starts).

Muncy, 23, ⁠is batting .223 with five homers and 20 RBIs in ​48 ‌games this season with the A’s.

Bowden, 31, made ​one appearance for ⁠the A’s this season, allowing four runs in one inning in Sunday’s 11-0 loss to the Detroit Tigers.

Zhuang, 25, was designated for assignment last Friday and has yet to make his MLB debut. The native of Taiwan is 2-5 with a 7.84 ERA in 15 games (12 starts) at Las ​Vegas.

–Field Level Media