Baseball Star Requires Emergency Surgery After Hitting A Ball Right Into His Nuts—And Men Everywhere Are Screaming

In the foulest ball of Monday night's game, Athletics infielder Joshua Kuroda-Grauer found himself on his knees after what may go down as the most painful swing of his career. The brutal moment came just a few innings after he blasted the first Major League home run of his career against the Arizona Diamondbacks.

During the fifth inning, Kuroda-Grauer fouled an 85 mph slider directly into his groin and was understandably in a world of pain. Anyone who's ever been unlucky enough to take a baseball down there knows it's excruciating under the best of circumstances. Off the bat? That's enough to make every man watching instinctively wince.

After taking a few moments to collect himself, Kuroda-Grauer somehow stepped back into the batter's box to continue the at-bat.

Watch the painful play:

The announcer even had the decency to call a “no balls, one strike” as the player went down in agony… But what nobody realized at the time was that he had suffered a ruptured testicle.

You can view another angle of the pitch and the aftermath below:

Despite the injury, Kuroda-Grauer was checked by trainers, stayed in the game, and even singled three pitches later before the severity of the injury became apparent.

A's manager Mark Kotsay later told MLB.com that Kuroda-Grauer was in "great spirits" and was even "joking" about the injury.

The longtime skipper said:

“His personality is amazing. He’s such a great kid. Unfortunate to have to lose him with the way he was performing and just the way he was integrated into this group. He fit right in.”

Kuroda-Grauer was later rushed to a Phoenix hospital, where he underwent emergency surgery, and the club placed him on the 10-day Injured List.

The setback comes as Kuroda-Grauer is in the midst of a breakout season. Between the Major and Minor League levels, he's hitting a combined .315 with an .885 OPS while collecting 25 extra-base hits through his first 41 Minor League games.

Since the Athletics selected him in the third round of the 2024 MLB Draft out of Rutgers, Kuroda-Grauer has been praised for his elite bat-to-ball skills, though scouts questioned whether he'd develop enough power. This offseason, "JKG" added about 25 pounds to his 5-foot-10 frame in hopes of generating more pop at the plate.

Athletics Minor League hitting coordinator Todd Takayoshi praised Kuroda-Grauer’s performance:

“With his profile as a hitter, it’s getting a lot better, just because now he’s not just trying to collect singles and get on base. That was the case until college and the first year or two we’ve had him. Now he’s starting to take more leveraged swings, and it’s paying off.”

Kuroda-Grauer has also established himself as a reliable defender, logging nearly equal playing time at shortstop, second base, and third base this season, making him a valuable option across the Athletics' infield.

It's not yet clear when he'll be able to play again, though he had been batting an impressive .417 through his first 16 games before the injury.

Fortunately, the injury isn't expected to have any long-term impact on his career. That didn't stop baseball fans—and just about every guy on social media—from collectively wincing after seeing the replay.

Here's how social media reacted:

The Athletics, now playing in West Sacramento ahead of their planned move to Las Vegas, hold a 43–59 record (.422), good for fourth place in the American League West.

As for Kuroda-Grauer, he'll undoubtedly be hoping the next baseball he sends screaming is over the fence—not into the one place no player ever wants to make contact. If nothing else, a protective cup suddenly seems like the smartest investment he'll make all season.