7 hours ago
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The Diamondbacks may need to throw their X-ray machine in the dumpster and invest in another.
Star outfielder Corbin Carroll was hit by a pitch last Wednesday and while initial X-rays came back negative, he missed the next four games as the team waited for the swelling to lessen.
He supposedly was available to pinch-hit in that time, though he did not appear in any games.
The Diamondbacks sent Carroll for an MRI on Monday in Chicago, per MLB.com, and this exam revealed what the initial X-rays had missed: a chip fracture in his left wrist.
Arizona will soon place Carroll on the injured list as this nightmare stretch of injuries continues for the franchise already without its ace (Corbin Burnes), closer (Justin Martinez) and catcher (Gabriel Moreno).
And this marks the team’s second X-ray fiasco in short time.
“That’s still a little bit confusing to all of us,” Diamondbacks manager Torey Lovullo said Monday of the injury being revealed after the original clean X-ray. “It’s on the back of his hand; the impact of the ball hit the side of his hand. Just goes to show you how hard these guys are throwing.”
Carroll suffered the injury after being hit by a 91-mph sinker from Blue Jays reliever Justin Bruihl during the eighth inning of an 8-1 road loss.
Lovullo does not yet have a timeframe for how long the 2023 National League Rookie of the Year will be sidelined, with Carroll set to receive some opinions on the best course of action.
This injury oddly mirrors a strange set of circumstances that unfolded with Moreno.
Moreno was hit by a pitch June 6 and diagnosed with a hand contusion after X-rays came back negative.
After missing three games, he returned on June 10 before being pulled again June 17 with hand soreness and eventually being diagnosed with a hairline fracture and landing on the IL.
Losing Carroll is a tough blow for a 40-38 Arizona team hoping to contend for the playoffs.
Carroll was among the top NL MVP candidates behind betting favorite Shohei Ohtani, on pace for 42 home runs, 118 runs, 91 RBIs and 21 stolen bases with a .914 OPS.
The Diamondbacks are already playing short-handed, especially on the pitching side after Burnes, their prized free-agent acquisition, opted for Tommy John surgery.
Martinez and fellow back-end reliever A.J. Puk also suffered season-ending injuries.
Adding insult to injury, Eugenio Suarez, one of the Diamondbacks’ most productive hitters with 24 home runs, was hit by a pitch in the wrist and subsequently pulled from Monday’s 10-0 win over the White Sox.
First baseman Josh Naylor was also hit by a pitch and removed from Monday’s game, so if either is forced to miss time the Diamondbacks could opt to recall top prospect Jordan Lawlar.
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