San Diego Padres designated hitter Luis Arraez was carted off the field in the first inning of Sunday night’s 3-2 victory over the host Houston Astros after being involved in a fierce collision.
The incident featuring the three-time batting champion led to an 11-minute delay before the resumption of play. Arraez, 28, was taken to Houston Methodist Hospital for further evaluation, with the team announcing during the second inning that he was “currently stable, conscious, responsive and able to move his extremities.”
Arraez returned to the ballpark and rejoined the team after the game but did not speak with reporters on the advice of team medical staff.
Padres manager Mike Shildt told reporters after the game that the update about Arraez was the “best-case scenario … Obviously, very scary. We think he’s for the most part out of the woods. Time will tell, but the initial testing is very favorable. No fractures of any sort. A little bit of laceration on his jawline, so we’re worried about his jaw, clearly his cervical region.
“We’ve been burned on testing before, so we’ll be cautiously optimistic. He did have a period (on the field) of where he wasn’t aware of where he was, so that’s clearly concerning. But everything’s coming back to him now, and his initial testing from a concussion standpoint is favorable. All things considered, it’s a blessing.”
After Fernando Tatis Jr., led off the game with a walk, Arraez put down a drag bunt that caused Houston first baseman Christian Walker to head to his right to field the ball. Astros second baseman Mauricio Dubon went to cover first base and caught the underhand toss from Walker for the out, but he and Arraez arrived at the same time and crashed into each other.
Dubon had the momentum and his shoulder and arm slammed hard into the face of Arraez, who went sprawling and hit his head on the turf. He rolled onto his left side and barely moved for several minutes.
Trainers from both teams attended to Arraez and they called for a cart. Several minutes later, Arraez was put on a stretcher and lifted on to the cart. Arraez lifted his right thumb into the air while the cart slowly moved down the right field line.
Dubon, who was seen talking with Arraez after his return from the hospital, told reporters that he sensed there could be a collision but there wasn’t space to manuever as he ran to first base.
“I tried to stay on the bag, and it was full speed,” Dubon said. “I just braced myself and closed my eyes. I couldn’t move anywhere, anything. So that’s why I just try to take it.
“It was scary, just watching him not move. Especially when people know the type of player I am. I’m not a dirty player or anything, so it sucks. There’s nothing I could have done. I braced myself and, you know, thought I was gonna get the worst out of it.”
Tatis said his back was turned to the play as he reached second base.
“I heard the collision,” Tatis said. “As soon as they called timeout, I went to see my boy just to see what was going on.
“It’s a sad moment, especially getting close with him and seeing him on the ground like that. Definitely get scared, and you almost go into tears. But just sat down next to him and started praying for him right away.”
Arraez is batting .287 with three homers and seven RBIs this season. Gavin Sheets replaced Arraez as the designated hitter.
–Field Level Media
