A's to Call Up Top Prospect Nick Kurtz to Face Texas Rangers

Well that didn't take long. After just 32 games played in the minor leagues since being drafted, former Wake Forest first baseman Nick Kurtz is headed to West Sacramento to join the Athletics roster, according to Martín Gallegos of MLB.com.

The A’s are calling up No. 1 prospect (MLB No. 35 prospect) Nick Kurtz, per source.

Kurtz has dominated Triple-A, hitting .321/.385/.655 and leading the Minors with seven homers. Drafted 4th overall in 2024, he will reach the big leagues after just 32 career Minor League games.
— Martín Gallegos (@MartinJGallegos) April 21, 2025

While the 32 games figure is a little misleading with another 13 games compiled during the Arizona Fall League, and 14 games played with the big-league club during spring training, it's still well below even 100 games in the minors before he received the call.

The reason? He's flat-out mashed everywhere he's been placed. In 20 games with the Las Vegas Aviators this season, Kurtz has hit .321 with a .385 OBP, seven home runs, seven doubles, and a league-leading 24 RBI. The dude is a machine.

Give how aggressive the A's had been with moving him through the minors, a promotion this quickly isn't terribly surprising. He'd played in just seven pro games with the A Ball Stockton Ports before he skipped a level and was sent to Double-A Midland. He also began this year in Triple-A, having played just 12 games in pro ball at that point.

When he was drafted, the A's said that he has an advanced approach at the plate, which is part of why he was No. 1 on their board (and selected No. 4 overall).

The one interesting wrinkle to this news is that the A's best hitter so far this season, Tyler Soderstrom, also plays first base. How manager Mark Kotsay plans to put both left-handers in the lineup will likely be a bit of a puzzle on a day-to-day basis, though he did elude to a couple of different ways to make it work during the last homestand.

The timing of this promotion is also interesting, because it shows that the A's are serious about competing in the AL West. They're pushing their top guy to the big leagues in April, less than a year after he was drafted. The team is currently 10-12 after going 4-2 on their most recent road trip, and currently sit three games back of first place.

The team that's in first, the Texas Rangers, also happen to be the A's next opponent, with their series set to begin on Tuesday. While we don't know exactly how the lineup will shake out just yet, we do know that the A's will be putting out the best one possible as they attempt to close an early gap in the division.