Athletics at Arizona Diamondbacks

The night a player hits his first Major League home run is one he will always remember. For Joshua Kuroda-Grauer, his special day will also be somewhat of a painful memory. Three innings after launching his first big league homer in Monday’s 5-2 Athletics win over the D-backs at Chase Field, a booming Statcast-projected 416-foot solo shot in the top of the second off Arizona starter Mitch Bratt, Kuroda-Grauer struck a hard foul ball off his groin area and immediately fell to the ground in a considerable amount of pain, remaining down for a few minutes as he was checked on by an A’s trainer. He later departed with a testicular contusion, the A's announced. Helped up to his feet by manager Mark Kotsay, Kuroda-Grauer stayed in the game and even finished the at-bat by lining a single to center field, though it was clear he was still feeling the effects of the blow as he hunched down in obvious discomfort as he stood on first. Kuroda-Grauer went back out in the bottom of the fifth to play third base, but as the A’s took the field again for the bottom of the sixth, the 23-year-old rookie was replaced on defense by Donovan Walton.