Former Rutgers Shortstop Makes Triumphant End-of-Season MLB Return

Joshua Kuroda-Grauer is now part of an elite club—one of 19 players from Rutgers to reach the big league

Former Rutgers shortstop Joshua Kuroda-Grauer returned to the Athletics lineup this week to finish out his first season in the major leagues.

Kuroda-Grauer made a big hit this summer when he was called up to play in the MLB in Sacramento and in his first game went an impressive 3-for-4. By the All-Star break, Kuroda-Grauer had played in 12 games and led the A’s in hitting with an average of .442. He had 19 hits in 45 at-bats. 

He also hit his first major league career home run in a game against the Arizona Diamondbacks in July before he was sidelined by an injury. 

His success should be no surprise: just look at his batting average over the years.

At Franklin Township High School, not far from the Rutgers–New Brunswick campus, he made All-State with a batting average of .444. As a junior at Rutgers, he hit .428 and was named Big Ten Conference Player of the Year in 2024.

Drafted by the Athletics two years ago, he spent his first three seasons in the minor leagues, where his batting average was over .300. The 23-year-old rookie was called up to the big-league club on June 29.

“It’s kind of still surreal for me,” he said in a recent phone interview. “It’s just taking me back to my days in college. All the coaching and developing I got there, I took it into pro ball. I want to try and continue to be the best player I can be and just progress. Things have lucked out in my favor, allowing me to help get to the big leagues.”

It didn’t take long to make special moments. He had a hit in his first at-bat, he went on to get another single, a double, drove in a run and scored a run. He also broke up a no-hitter with a bloop single in the eighth inning against the Miami Marlins. 

“It’s always fun to break up a no-hitter,’’ he said, pausing for a laugh. “Being able to spray it down right field and get something on the board was sweet.’’

Typical of rookies, his first Major League at-bat came with nerves while flashing to the memories of all the work he put in to get to that moment.

“I was just trying to get the first hit out of the way, and ease the nerves,’’ he said. “To have everyone in the dugout shaking my hand after, that was cool.”

So was the moment as he reached first base, where baseball’s current hit leader, Dodger first baseman Freddie Freeman gave him a smile and congratulations.

Kuroda-Grauer is now part of an elite club. He is one of 19 players from Rutgers who have played in the majors. Among them is Todd Frazier, a two-time Major League All-Star who played for both the Yankees and the Mets during his career. 

Frazier was quoted offering a positive outlook for Kuroda-Grauer’s future. “When he does make it to the Major Leagues, I can’t wait to watch, because this dude’s going to be playing for a long time,” Frazier said.

He has achieved his dream while continuing to work toward completing his degree in sport management from the Rutgers-New Brunswick School of Arts and Sciences. He is taking classes online and hopes to graduate in December.

Rutgers coach Steve Owens offered praise for his former player that goes beyond Kuroda-Grauer’s baseball ability. 

Owens remembers telling Kuroda-Grauer he wouldn’t be able to start in the first game of the season during his freshman year in 2022. Kuroda-Grauer took the news in stride in a way that stuck with his coach.

“He said, ‘You’re the coach and I’m the player, so whatever you say goes. I’ll be ready when I get my chance,’’’ Owens recalled.

“He played a little bit that weekend, then I played him in a mid-week game and he got a couple of at-bats and boom, base hit, base hit,’’ Ownes said. “He took the position when it was time to take it, never looked back and didn’t come off the field again.”

Kuroda-Grauer recalled his first season at Rutgers as a freshman who was part of a team that went 44-15 and reached the Big Ten Conference championship game.

“There were a lot of older guys to look up to,” he said. “Those guys helped me excel, and I give a lot of credit to my hitting coach Mike Garza, coach Owens and the whole staff.”

An infielder, Kuroda-Grauer has played second base, third and shortstop. As a utility player who prefers shortstop (like his idol Derek Jeter), he acknowledges that “You gotta’ be ready to go wherever.”

That outlook has taken him around the minor league circuit. Before getting called up to Sacramento, he played for teams in Stockton, California; Las Vegas, Nevada; Lansing, Michigan; Mesa, Arizona; and Midland, Texas in the minor league circuit.

Between seasons at Rutgers, he also played in the Cape Cod League and New England Collegiate Baseball League.

At 5-foot-10 and 205 pounds, he started getting ready at the age of 4, when he started hitting balls with a plastic bat and Wiffle ball.

By junior high, he was getting plenty of attention, which was when his high school coach Nick Zucchero first met Kuroda-Grauer.

“He was a special kid, way beyond his years mentally,” Zucchero said. “Honestly, I’m not surprised at his success. His work ethic, he grinded every day. He was the type of kid who made everybody else better.

“He’s the most personable kid, the most genuine, you’ll ever meet these days,” he added. “He was brought up by two great parents.”

 His mom and his hitting coach flew to Sacramento when he was called up. They missed his opening day but made it to his second career game. 

“It was sweet to have them there,’’ he said.

Owens recalled a trip to Hawaii, when, after four games, the team had a day off. Not having adjusted to the time difference, he and his wife were up early and went across the street from the hotel to have breakfast. He noticed Kuroda-Grauer coming out of the restaurant with breakfast in a box, assuming he was returning to his room. He wasn’t. What he did was walk down the street and hand the box to a homeless person who was sitting on a bench. He then walked further down the street to a convenience store, returning with a beverage for the person.

“I just thought that was the coolest thing,” Owens said. "But it’s not surprising at all when you know the kid.”