Luis Arraez sustained a left thumb injury while sliding into third base on June 25, causing him ongoing discomfort. Due to this, he decided to skip the All-Star Game to provide his thumb with a full four days of rest. Recently, Arraez disclosed that he has a torn ligament in his thumb.
After a comprehensive medical examination during the All-Star break, Arraez was given clearance to continue playing. Despite feeling discomfort while swinging and fielding, Arraez is determined to stay on the field as long as he can tolerate the pain.
However, Arraez’s performance at the plate has been impacted, as he is hitting only .280/.302/.352 in 130 plate appearances since the injury. This is a decline from his earlier season stats of .310/.345/.384 in 360 plate appearances. His overall slash line of .302/.334/.375 marks his lowest slugging percentage and OBP in his six Major League seasons.
While Arraez’s wRC+ of 103 is still above league average, it falls short of the 132 wRC+ he achieved in previous seasons. Despite wanting to return to his usual level of play, Arraez remains focused on contributing to the team. The Padres, currently holding the top NL wild card spot, are only 2.5 games behind the NL West-leading Dodgers.
The Padres have faced challenges with key players missing significant time this season, including Fernando Tatis Jr. and Yu Darvish. Arraez’s thumb injury adds to the team’s concerns, but they are managing it carefully by giving him playing time at designated hitter.
