The Athletics’ season has already been wrecked by injuries, and now two more key names are sitting at the center of the next decision. With the trade deadline later this afternoon, the A’s aren’t just weighing deals - they’re also staring down possible IL moves for Nick Kurtz and Jacob Wilson.
Kurtz, the All-Star first baseman, has been fighting through a thumb problem that keeps resurfacing. He was placed on the injured list before the All-Star break because of it, then returned without a rehab assignment once the thumb seemed ready.
Since coming back, though, he has gone just 1-for-18, and the discomfort has apparently lingered enough that he is set to see a hand specialist Monday. The issue has been serious enough that he has been taped around the wrist and thumb to keep it stabilized.
His return never really looked clean. Kurtz missed a game after taking a shot to the forearm, then came back the next day after leaving in the first inning. Even now, the concern is that the thumb pain is getting worse, not better.
Wilson’s situation is different, but just as complicated. He has already spent time on the shelf this year because of a shoulder injury, and that issue may still be hanging around.
He has also been dealing with patellar tendonitis, which is why he has been DH'ing lately. Manager Mark Kotsay said Wilson is expected back at shortstop on Tuesday, but there’s a case to be made that the A’s should stop pushing him and let him take care of the shoulder now, rather than waiting.
For a team whose season has already slipped away, that kind of move could make sense. It would give Wilson a chance to get back to 100% for Spring Training and give his knees a break too.
The broader picture in Oakland is ugly. The A’s were first in the standings before the injuries piled up, then slid toward the bottom of the American League after losing their star players. Brent Rooker is already done for the year after surgery, and Shea Langeliers appears to have chosen not to undergo surgery on his meniscus, though he still likely won’t play again this season after being involved in trade talks.
And as for Langeliers, the discussion around him mattered because elite catching is hard to find - which is why moving him would have been a bad idea for the A’s.
Now the same kind of calculation is looming with Kurtz and Wilson. The deadline pressure is one thing.
Their health is another. And both could soon be headed for more time off.
In Other News...
A's Just Made A Deadline Move Fans Will Want To Watch
The deadline shuffle brought a familiar kind of intrigue for the Athletics, with Philadelphia and Oakland working out a deal that sends reliever Seth Johnson to the As in exchange for 25-year-old outfielder Colby Thomas. For Oakland, it adds another arm to the mix at a time when every move is being evaluated through both the present and the next wave of roster construction.
Thomas arrives as a right-handed hitter whose major league track record has been limited, but his minor league performance has given him a longer leash in evaluators eyes. He also comes with enough team control to matter beyond the immediate aftermath of the deadline, which makes him the kind of player As fans will want to track closely as the organization keeps turning over pieces and looking for long-term value. [Read more 🡒]
A's Face One Real Deadline Decision As Jonah Heim Draws Attention
The Athletics have already spent the summer making smaller moves, dealing Aaron Civale to the Chicago Cubs and Brett Harris to the Boston Red Sox, and the next decision could carry more weight than the others. With Shea Langeliers out for the season, Oakland has leaned on Jonah Heim behind the plate, giving the veteran catcher an important role on a club that is drifting further from contention.
That setup has naturally pushed Heim into the center of deadline conversation, especially with the catching market looking thin and contenders such as the Yankees still searching for help. For the As, the question is less about whether there is interest and more about how far they want to go in selling off a player who has become part of their short-term patchwork while the rest of the roster keeps changing around him. [Read more 🡒]