Moreno goes on 10-day IL with sprained thumb

PHILADELPHIA – The news is worse than expected for catcher Gabriel Moreno.

The D-backs placed him on the 10-day injured list because of a left thumb sprain that he suffered Friday night during Arizona’s 5-4 victory over the Phillies. Moreno hurt the thumb in the third inning on a foul tip by Phillies outfielder Cristian Pache, but stayed in the game until the bottom of the sixth inning. Manager Torey Lovullo believed the injury was not serious, but Saturday morning, Moreno’s thumb was still stiff and sore.

“Tough break for Gabby, but just 10 days of rest, we feel, will do him very good,” Lovullo said. “He probably wouldn't [have caught] if we needed him today or tomorrow.”

The D-backs hope they don’t have a repeat of last year, when they went 23-28 while Moreno was on the IL with shoulder inflammation.

“I’m very aware of our record when he was here last year,” Lovullo said. “We know the importance of having him in the lineup and he knows the importance of being in this lineup. We continue to express that to him. He is growing and learning every single day. He is going to get healthy in 10 days and he’ll be right back in there.”

Before this latest injury, Moreno was off to a slow start, slashing .230/.313/.346.

In the meantime, Tucker Barnhart and Jose Herrera will be the catchers on the Major League roster. It’s not known who will get most of the playing time during Moreno’s absence, but Barnhart was in Saturday’s starting lineup. Barnhart has appeared in 25 games for Arizona this season and is 11-for-67 [.164] with four RBIs. Herrera was recalled from Triple-A Reno where he hit .260 with two homers and 19 RBIs.