Luis Arraez he injured his left thumb while sliding into third base during the return game on June 25, and the lingering discomfort was enough for Arraez to skip the All-Star Game so he could give his thumb four full days of rest. a break. Arraez revealed more details about the injury yesterday, telling El Extrabase's Daniel Alvarez-Montes and other reporters that he tore a tendon in his thumb.
The Athletic's Dennis Lin (via X) sheds more light on the situation, saying Arraez has been cleared to continue playing after receiving a full medical during the All-Star break. As Arraez explained last month, he feels uncomfortable while swinging and running, but if the injury is ultimately about enduring the pain, he wants to stay on the field if physically possible.
The results have been mixed, as Arraez is hitting just .280/.302/.352 in 130 plate appearances since June 25. It's a significant step back from the .310/.345/.384 slash line he posted the first time around. 360 PA for the season, and his overall line of .302/.334/.375 represents the lowest slugging percentage and OBP of Arraez's six Major League seasons, and the second lowest batting average.
Arraez's 103 wRC+ is still above league average, if less than the 132 wRC+ he posted in 2022-23 while winning back-to-back hitting titles in both the AL (with the Twins in 2022) and the NL (with the Marlins last year) . Naturally Arraez would like to get closer to his normal level, however he probably feels that as long as he is producing at the plate, he will continue to grind it out. San Diego's playoff chase is clearly another matter – the Padres enter today's action holding the top wild card spot in the National League, and sit only 2.5 games behind the Dodgers in first place in the NL West.
The Friars achieved this success despite losing several key players for large stretches of the season. It is not yet clear when Fernando Tatis Jr. (women's stress response) and Yu Darvish (list restricted due to personal matter) will return to the active program, however Joe Musgrove is expected to return from the 60-day injured list on Monday to start against the Pirates. Arraez's sixth problem adds to the list of concerns for the Padres, though it's clear the team is trying to manage the injury in the best possible way, as Arraez is getting good time for the designated hitter.
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