Athletics rookie infielder Joshua Kuroda-Grauer underwent emergency surgery for a ruptured testicle on Monday night after an injury during a game against the Arizona Diamondbacks, the team announced Tuesday afternoon.
Kuroda-Grauer underwent the surgery at a hospital in Phoenix and the team said he is resting comfortably. The A’s placed him on the 10-day injured list Tuesday.
The injury occurred when Kuroda-Grauer fouled off a pitch in the fifth inning that hit him in the groin. He was down on the ground in pain for more than a minute and a trainer attended to him.
Somehow, he initially remained in the game and, three pitches later, delivered a hard-hit single to center. He eventually exited the game prior to the bottom of the sixth.
Athletics manager Mark Kotsay told reporters that he visited Kuroda-Grauer at the hospital on Tuesday.
“He’s in great spirits,” Kotsay said. “He was joking. His personality is amazing. … I think he might be the only player in history to (rupture) a testicle, stay in the game, get a hit and play another half inning of defense.”
Kuroda-Grauer, 23, started at third base on Monday and hit his first major league homer earlier in the 5-2 victory. He went 2-for-3 for his eighth multihit outing in just 16 major league games.
Kuroda-Grauer has made a strong first impression with the A’s by batting .417 (25-for-60) with the homer and four RBIs.
The A’s also recalled third baseman Max Muncy and right-hander Hayden Juenger from Triple-A Las Vegas while placing right-hander Mark Leiter Jr. (right hip) on the 15-day injured list.
Muncy, 23, batted .227 with five homers and 20 RBIs in 46 games for the A’s earlier this season.
Juenger, 25, hasn’t pitched for the Athletics but made his first big league appearances earlier this season while with the Toronto Blue Jays. He gave up three runs in two innings. The A’s obtained him in late June.
Leiter, 35, is sidelined with a hip impingement for the second time this season. He is 0-1 with a 4.28 ERA in 36 relief appearances this season.
–Field Level Media
