Rare injury sidelines prospect

Joshua Kuroda-Grauer underwent emergency surgery on July 20 to repair a ruptured testicle, an injury so uncommon the Athletics had almost no timeline for his return.

“When it happened, I thought my season was over.”

Only one recent comparison

The Athletics looked to Adrian Beltre, who suffered a similar injury with the Mariners in 2009 and missed 5.5 weeks, as their only reference point for Kuroda-Grauer's potential timeline.

A month of sitting still

Kuroda-Grauer spent about a month mostly sedentary to allow swelling to go down before beginning baseball rehab in mid-August, frustrated by the forced inactivity.

“It was like a month of just sitting around, just because it was such a unique injury.”

Hot start before injury

Kuroda-Grauer was batting .417 with 25 hits in his first 16 games after debuting June 29, tying an Athletics record for most hits by a player in their first 16 games.

Improbable return to play

Kuroda-Grauer was activated from the injured list before Tuesday's game against the Angels after three rehab games with Triple-A Las Vegas, returning to start at second base.

Looking ahead to 2027

Manager Mark Kotsay said Kuroda-Grauer earned the chance to finish the season, and the prospect is confident the comeback will help him compete for a prominent role next year.

“It gave me a lot of confidence in knowing that I can be up here and compete.”