A scary moment happened early in the Sunday night game between the Padres and Astros in Houston.
Padres designated hitter Luis Arraez was attempting to reach on a bunt in the first inning when he collided with Astros second baseman Mauricio Dubon at first base. Arráez appeared to take Dubon’s shoulder to his head and was down on the ground for several minutes.
Eventually, Arráez was stabilized on a backboard and carted off the field. He left the game immediately with medical staff on hand and was transported to Houston Methodist Hospital for further evaluation, the Padres said.
“[Arráez] is currently stable, conscious, responsive, and able to move his extremities,” the team said in a statement.
After the game, Padres manager Mike Shildt told reporters (97.3 The Fan) that the testing revealed the “best-case scenario.” Arráez is in concussion testing, but otherwise avoided things like fractures and just has a small laceration on his jaw. Instead of traveling with the team Sunday night, the plan is for him to stay overnight in Houston and possibly rejoin the team in Detroit on Monday.
Arráez is hitting .287/.330/.425 on the season for the Padres. He’s won three consecutive batting titles with three different teams, taking the AL crown in 2022 with the Twins before securing the NL batting titles in 2023 with the Marlins and 2024 with the Padres.
If the three-time All-Star misses any time, the Padres will likely use Yuli Gurriel at first base and Gavin Sheets as the primary DH. Oscar Gonzalez and Connor Joe would also be options to see an uptick in playing time.