The 2026 MLB All-Star Game just got a new face at first base for the American League. Nick Kurtz, the Athletics’ 23-year-old first baseman, will start in Philadelphia on July 14 after Blue Jays superstar Vladimir Guerrero Jr. opted out. Guerrero, a six-time All-Star, decided to skip the game to rest an injured lower back, according to league sources.
Kurtz didn’t win the fan vote outright, but he finished close enough that the players’ ballot pushed him over the top. He got the most votes among AL first basemen from his peers, which earned him the start. It’s his first All-Star selection and it caps off a monster first half of his second season in the bigs.
Before the break, Kurtz had played in 87 games and put up numbers that look like a video game on rookie mode: 20 home runs, 15 doubles, an MLB-leading 66 RBIs and 76 walks. He also led the league in runs scored with 61. His on-base percentage sat at .424 and his OPS was .949, both near the top of the AL. Earlier this season he tied Mark McGwire’s franchise record by reaching base in 48 straight games.
This isn’t a fluke either. Kurtz won unanimous AL Rookie of the Year in 2025 after debuting in May and also took home a Silver Slugger. Down the stretch last season he posted a 1.107 OPS over 59 games. In May of this year he was named AL Player of the Month after hitting five homers and driving in an MLB-best 26 runs while tying for first in the league with a 1.025 OPS.
Homecoming vibes in Philadelphia
The All-Star Game being in Philly means something extra for Kurtz. He grew up in Lancaster, Pennsylvania, about 70 miles west of the city. He’s a lifelong Phillies fan and his family held season tickets for years. He used to go to games at Citizens Bank Park as a kid. Now he’ll be starting there as an All-Star.
Kurtz won’t be the only Athletic in the AL starting lineup. Catcher Shea Langeliers also earned his first All-Star nod after winning the fan vote in Phase 2 with 65 percent of the vote. Langeliers heads into the break leading all AL catchers with 20 home runs while hitting .264 with an .822 OPS.
Athletics making noise again
This marks the second straight season the A’s have placed two players on the All-Star roster, following Jacob Wilson and Brent Rooker in 2025. But it’s the first time since Rickey Henderson and Dave Henderson in 1991 that the franchise has had two starters in the midsummer classic.
Langeliers becomes the A’s first catcher to start the All-Star Game since Terry Steinbach in 1989. Kurtz is the first A’s first baseman to start since Matt Olson in 2021. Not bad for a team that’s been in the spotlight mostly for relocation drama the last few years.
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