Joshua Kuroda-Grauer

Joshua Kuroda-Grauer
Athletics – No. 44
Infielder
Born: (2003-01-31) January 31, 2003
New Brunswick, New Jersey, U.S.
Bats: Right
Throws: Right
MLB debut
June 29, 2026, for the Athletics
MLB statistics
(through July 20, 2026)
Batting average.417
Home runs1
Runs batted in4
Stats at Baseball Reference 
Teams

Joshua Kuroda-Grauer (born January 31, 2003) is an American professional baseball infielder for the Athletics of Major League Baseball (MLB). He played college baseball for the Rutgers Scarlet Knights and was selected by the Athletics in the third round of the 2024 MLB draft. He made his MLB debut in 2026.

Amateur career

Born in New Brunswick, New Jersey,[1] Kuroda-Grauer grew up in the Somerset section of Franklin Township, Somerset County, New Jersey and attended Franklin High School, where he played baseball and basketball.[2] He was named the Courier News Player of the Year as a senior.[3]

Kuroda-Grauer played college baseball for the Rutgers Scarlet Knights for three seasons. He was named third-team All-Big Ten Conference as a freshman after slashing .299/.365/.416 with 5 home runs and 39 RBIs.[4] Kuroda-Grauer batted .298 during his sophomore season.[5] He played collegiate summer baseball for the Bourne Braves of the Cape Cod Baseball League in 2022 and 2023 and was named the Playoff MVP for the 2023 season.[6][7][8] Kuroda-Grauer was named the Big Ten Conference Baseball Player of the Year as a junior after finishing second in the nation with a .428 batting average.[9]

Professional career

The Oakland Athletics selected Kuroda-Grauer in the third round of the 2024 Major League Baseball draft.[10] He was assigned to the Stockton Ports of the Single-A California League to begin his professional career.[11] Kuroda-Grauer was promoted to the Lansing Lugnuts of the High-A Midwest League after batting .389 with 13 runs scored in 12 games with Stockton.[12]

On June 29, 2026, Kuroda-Grauer was selected to the 40-man roster and promoted to the major leagues for the first time.[13][14] He made his major league debut that night against the Los Angeles Dodgers and went 3-for-4 with a double, one RBI, and one run scored in a 9–4 loss.[15] Kuroda-Grauer recorded his first career home run in the second inning of a game against the Arizona Diamondbacks on July 20. In the fifth inning of that game, he fouled a ball off of his groin. He continued the at-bat, hitting a single, but was removed after that inning, finishing the game 2-for-3. That evening, he underwent surgery to repair a ruptured testicle and was placed on the 10-day injured list.[16][17][18]

References

  1. ↑ Joshua Kuroda-Grauer, MLB.com. Accessed June 30, 2026. "Born: 1/31/2003 in New Brunswick, NJ"
  2. ↑ Nalwasky, Chris (November 17, 2020). "Franklin Township: Kuroda-Grauer, Straub sign to play athletics at the next level". TAPinto. Retrieved August 22, 2024.
  3. ↑ "Baseball: CN Player of the Year's commitment fueled successful season". Courier News. June 30, 2021. Retrieved August 22, 2024.
  4. ↑ "Homegrown Hero: Joshua Kuroda-Grauer's Journey to Becoming One of College Baseball's Best". OnTheBanks.com. SB Nation. May 2, 2024. Retrieved August 22, 2024.
  5. ↑ "The remarkable journey of Rutgers baseball's Big Ten Player of the Year". Asbury Park Press. May 24, 2024. Retrieved August 21, 2024.
  6. ↑ "#18 Joshua Kuroda-Grauer - Profile". pointstreak.com. Retrieved August 22, 2024.
  7. ↑ "#13 Joshua Kuroda-Grauer - Profile". pointstreak.com. Retrieved August 22, 2024.
  8. ↑ Cavallo, Michael (January 20, 2024). "Rutgers Josh Kuroda-Grauer is one of the top college draft prospects in the country". Rutgers Wire. USA Today. Retrieved August 21, 2024.
  9. ↑ Locker, Bradley (July 12, 2024). "Homegrown Rutgers star Josh Kuroda-Grauer has Day 1 MLB draft expectations". New York Post. Retrieved August 21, 2024.
  10. ↑ Torres, Luis (July 15, 2024). "2024 MLB Draft: Rutgers star Josh Kuroda-Grauer drafted 75th overall by Athletics". NJ.com. Retrieved August 21, 2024.
  11. ↑ Gallegos, Martín (August 10, 2024). "Four '24 Draft picks moving up to Single-A". MLB.com. Retrieved August 21, 2024.
  12. ↑ Burke, Jason (August 27, 2024). "A's Promoting Another Top Pick in 2024 Draft". SI.com. Retrieved August 27, 2024.
  13. ↑ "Kuroda-Grauer Called up to Athletics for MLB Debut". Rutgers University Athletics. June 29, 2026. Retrieved June 30, 2026.
  14. ↑ "A's promote Joshua Kuroda-Grauer from Triple-A". NBC Sports. Retrieved June 30, 2026.
  15. ↑ Fonseca, Brian (June 30, 2026). "Former Rutgers baseball standout, N.J. native makes major impression in MLB debut". NJ.com. Retrieved June 30, 2026.
  16. ↑ Gallegos, Martín (July 21, 2026). "Kuroda-Grauer resting comfortably after emergency surgery". MLB.com. Retrieved July 25, 2026.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  17. ↑ Joseph, Andrew (July 22, 2026). "The A's Joshua Kuroda-Grauer had emergency surgery for a ruptured testicle after gutsiest single". For The Win - USA Today. Retrieved July 25, 2026.
  18. ↑ Haupt, Angela (July 22, 2026). "What Is a Ruptured Testicle? An MLB Player's Painful Injury, Explained". Time. ISSN 0040-781X. Retrieved July 25, 2026.
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