Athletics first baseman Nick Kurtz left Wednesday night's matchup with the Boston Red Sox after taking a pitch directly to his left wrist.
Kurtz took an inside pitch from Patrick Sandoval in the opening inning of the contest at Sutter Health Park in Sacramento, California. He immediately started hopping around and bent over a few steps away from the plate, clearly in a lot of pain.
The Athletics initially allowed Kurtz to stay in the game, but he was pulled from the contest by the next inning. Jeff McNeil replaced him at first base.
Kurtz, a 23-year-old, entered the night with a .260 batting average and 21 home runs, along with 69 RBI on the season. He also earned his first career All-Star nod earlier this summer.
The Athletics carried a 45-62 record into Wednesday's contest, which has them in fourth in the AL West race. They had fended off a late Red Sox comeback on Tuesday night to pick up a 4-3 win.
The Red Sox, who have won nine of 12 games coming out of the All-Star break, sit at 55-51 on the season. They are in third in the AL East standings, more than seven games back from the Tampa Bay Rays.
Further specifics on Kurtz's injury are not yet known. The Athletics have not released any information regarding the severity of the injury or when Kurtz might return to the field.
The incident occurred early in the game, which may have contributed to the Athletics' relatively smooth progression through the contest. Despite losing Kurtz, they went on to win the game 6-4.
The Athletics will likely face questions about Kurtz's injury and its potential impact on their season. For now, the team is focused on supporting their injured player and finding a way to move forward without him.
Source: Yahoo Sports