DETROIT -- A day after his scary collision at first base, Luis Arraez entered concussion protocol on Monday and was placed on the 7-day concussion IL. But according to Padres manager Mike Shildt, Arraez¡¯s prognosis is ¡°as good as we could possibly expect¡± considering the nature of his injury.
Arraez collided with first baseman Mauricio Dub¨®n in the first inning of San Diego¡¯s victory over the Astros on Sunday night. He was carted off the field on a stretcher and taken to Houston Methodist hospital.
Arraez stayed behind in Houston on Sunday night, while the Padres traveled to Detroit for the start of their three-game series against the Tigers. He¡¯s scheduled to head to San Diego next, where he¡¯ll undergo further testing.
¡°Overall very favorable relative to how scary that looked and was,¡± Shildt said. ¡°[Arraez] woke up, slept well. As you would expect, he has some stiffness in his neck, but nothing cognitively is anything we¡¯re overly concerned about. He is going to go, rightfully so, in concussion protocol. More tests are going to be done -- hopefully more out of caution than necessity.¡±
Short on infielders, the Padres recalled Mason McCoy in a corresponding move. But Arraez¡¯s absence will undoubtedly be felt, as San Diego has battled a spate of recent injuries. Five hitters from their Opening Day roster have landed on the IL: Arraez, Jake Cronenworth (right rib fracture), Jackson Merrill (right hamstring strain), Brandon Lockridge (left hamstring strain) and Jason Heyward (left knee inflammation).
Notably, four of those hitters are regular left-handed bats in the Padres¡¯ starting lineup -- which presents its own share of challenges. For Monday¡¯s series opener, the Padres elevated Gavin Sheets into the No. 2 spot in their batting order and gave Tirso Ornelas his first career start, batting fifth.
¡°Those lefties have been able to come in,¡± Shildt said. ¡°It¡¯s all about finding solutions. That¡¯s what winners do. We¡¯ll continue to put the best club out there. I love the club we¡¯ve got, and we¡¯ll go compete.¡±
Needless to say, however, the Padres will be hoping for a speedy recovery from Arraez, who has won three consecutive batting titles. He entered Sunday hitting .287 -- including a .338 mark over his past 17 games after starting the year 1-for-18.
Arraez sustained the injury on a bunt ground ball up the first-base line. He collided with Dub¨®n as he reached the first-base bag, trying to leg out an infield hit. Arraez lay prone on the field for several minutes, a chilling scene, as medical personnel attended to him.
By the end of the game, however, Arraez was cognitive and alert and even returned to the visiting clubhouse to celebrate the 3-2 victory with his teammates.
¡°That was good for everybody¡¯s spirits, and mostly for Luis of course,¡± Shildt said. ¡°... Guy¡¯s got the heart of a champion.¡±