The Arizona Diamondbacks are holding their breath on Corbin Carroll after the rookie phenom left their game Thursday with a shoulder injury.
While hitting in the seventh inning against the New York Mets, Carroll swung and missed a pitch and immediately grabbed his right shoulder after his backswing. He was clearly in pain and quickly walked off the field with the Diamondbacks coaches.
You can see the swing and reaction here:
The Diamondbacks lost the game 9-0.
Arizona coach Torey Lovullo told reporters after the game that the team received “encouraging news” and that initial testing revealed that “shoulder strength and stability were good”, with more information expected on Friday.
A right shoulder injury is of particular concern as Carroll, 22, underwent surgery in 2021 to repair a posterior capsular avulsion and labral tear in the same shoulder, which saw him miss most of the season. He quit another game early last week with a “really weird feeling” in his shoulder, appearing to escape fear without serious issues.
Corbin missing significant time would be a brutal blow for the Diamondbacks and would almost certainly cause him to miss Tuesday’s MLB All-Star Game, in which he was the rare rookie elected starter.
The honor was well deserved. In 335 plate appearances in 83 games this season, the former 16th overall pick hit .290/.365/.559 with 18 home runs and 24 stolen bases in 26 attempts. He leads all MLB rookies in bWAR with 3.8 and was on track to not only win National League Rookie of the Year, but also capture more than a few MVP votes.
With Carroll in the lead, the Diamondbacks sit first in the NL West at 50-38. Now they are only half a game ahead of the Los Angeles Dodgers, who themselves have struggled with injury issues.