Luis Arraez suffered a frightening injury early in the San Diego Padres' win over the Houston Astros on Sunday night. The infielder had to be stretchered off the field after colliding with Houston's Mauricio Dubon while attempting to beat out a throw to first base; he was motionless on the ground for an extended period, and while he eventually regained consciousness and flashed a thumbs-up to the crowd on his way into the clubhouse, fans and his teammates were understandably concerned.
Luckily, it appears as though Arraez's injury isn't as dire as it initially seemed. The three-time batting champion was released from the hospital later that night, eventually rejoining the team in Detroit ahead of their upcoming series with the Tigers. And while Arraez won't be in the lineup on Monday, he could be back far sooner than most assumed.
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Padres infielder Luis Arraez 'out of the woods' after scary collision
Padres manager Mike Shildt offered a positive update on Arraez's condition, calling the results of his hospital testing the "best-case scenario."
"We think he’s, for the most part, out of the woods," Shildt said, per the New York Post. "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.”
On Monday afternoon, Arraez was put on the 7-day concussion IL, meaning he'll be out for at least the next week. But the fact that he was able to travel by plane so soon after the scare, as well as the fact that he doesn't appear to have suffered any sort of fractures or internal injuries, is great to hear. Of course, we still need to wait to see how Arraez recovers over the next few days; brain injuries are deadly serious, and we can't take anything for granted.
Still, this is about as positive an update as any could've hoped for, and here's hoping Arraez is back helping the Padres try to keep pace with the Los Angeles Dodgers atop the NL West soon enough.