Joshua Kuroda-Grauer did not ease into the majors quietly.
In his MLB debut Monday night, the former Rutgers infielder started at second base and hit ninth for the Athletics against the Los Angeles Dodgers, then promptly delivered a performance that turned heads. The Somerset native went 3-for-4 with a double, two singles, one run scored and one RBI in a 9-4 loss at Sutter Health Park in Sacramento, California.
That RBI came on his very first big league plate appearance. After reaching first base, he was greeted by Dodgers star Freddie Freeman, who has the most hits among all active MLB players.
Kuroda-Grauer became the 19th player in Rutgers program history to appear in an MLB game, and he is the second Scarlet Knight to make his debut this season. Relief pitcher Brian Fitzpatrick also got his first shot in the majors before suffering a UCL injury earlier this month after five appearances for the Milwaukee Brewers.
Rutgers has now had two former players in MLB games in the same season for the first time since Brian O’Grady and Patrick Kivlehan did it in 2021.
The debut came after a big year in the minors for Kuroda-Grauer, the 75th overall pick in the 2024 MLB Draft. Across 75 games between Double-A Midland and Triple-A Las Vegas, he hit .323 with seven home runs, 44 RBI, 15 stolen bases and an .845 OPS. He also led all of Minor League Baseball in hits with 109, while ranking second in runs with 76 and tying for fifth in doubles with 23.
His rise in pro ball followed a standout finish at Rutgers. In 2024, his junior season, he was named Big Ten Player of the Year, becoming the first Rutgers player to win a major conference award since the school joined the league.
He was also a first-team All-American pick by Perfect Game and a first-team All-Big Ten selection. That season, he led the country in regular season hits with 95 and hits per game at 1.79, finished second nationally with a .428 batting average, stole 24 bases, committed just seven errors and posted 29 multi-hit games.
If Monday was any sign, Kuroda-Grauer’s first taste of the majors may not be his last memorable one.
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