The Diamondbacks’ 14-3 rout of the Dodgers on Sunday wasn’t a wholly easy journey for Arizona, as left fielder Lourdes Gurriel Jr. left the sport after struggling some tightness in his left calf. The damage occurred when Gurriel was making an attempt to beat out a grounder within the backside of the sixth, and he was changed in left area when the seventh inning started. Supervisor Torey Lovullo advised reporters (together with the Arizona Republic’s Nick Piecoro) that Gurriel is day-to-day for now and can endure an MRI to find out the extent of the damage.
Gurriel is hitting .274/.316/.428 with 17 house runs over 522 plate appearances this season, whereas posting stable defensive metrics throughout the board because the Diamondbacks’ on a regular basis left fielder. The glovework is a bit much less spectacular than it was in 2023, however Gurriel’s 104 wRC+ is only a shade beneath his 105 wRC+ in 592 PA a 12 months in the past. That profitable first season in Arizona and his continued hitting within the playoffs impressed the D’Backs to re-sign Gurriel in free company final winter, bringing him again on a three-year, $42M deal that features a membership possibility for 2027.
Whereas Gurriel has been liable to fairly excessive hot-and-cold stretches on the plate, his streakiness has evened out to a reasonably secure profession monitor report. Over the past 5 162-game Main League seasons, Gurriel has averaged a minimum of 1.6 fWAR and not more than 2.0 fWAR, although his 1.9 fWAR by way of 125 video games this 12 months may get a brand new highwater mark.
After all, that’s assuming this calf drawback doesn’t require a stint on the 10-day injured checklist. Calf accidents may be difficult to handle and something greater than minor cafe points can are likely to linger, so there shall be some measure of concern within the Diamondbacks’ camp till the MRI comes again clear.
Arizona can hardly afford to lose one other common through the playoff hunt. Sunday’s victory put the Snakes 5 video games again of the Dodgers within the NL West race, and simply share factors forward of the Padres for the highest NL wild-card berth. Whereas the D’Backs have constructed a bit respiratory room of their pursuit of at the least a wild card, the staff has hung in although Ketel Marte, Christian Walker, and Gabriel Moreno are all on the 10-day IL.
The excellent news on the damage entrance is that Walker is “actual shut” to a return, Lovullo advised Piecoro and firm on Sunday. Walker could possibly be again sooner or later through the Diamondbacks’ six-game highway journey that begins Tuesday in San Francisco, as the primary baseman has progressed to dealing with dwell pitching in exercises on the staff’s spring coaching camp. It doesn’t seem as if Walker will want a minor league rehab project, although he has been sidelined for over a month attributable to a left indirect pressure.
Moreno’s IL stint attributable to a groin pressure can also be nearing the one-month mark, as Moreno hasn’t performed since Aug. 5. Lovullo mentioned Moreno is each hitting and has resumed catching drills. Marte can also be having dwell at-bats however isn’t but operating out of the batters’ field, as he continues to get better from an ankle sprain that despatched him to the IL on Aug. 18.
