Padres designated hitter Luis Arraez was carted off the field and taken to a local hospital Sunday night after a scary collision at first base during San Diego's 3-2 win over the Houston Astros.
Arraez ran directly into Astros second baseman Mauricio Dubón while trying to reach first after a sacrifice bunt in the first inning of the matchup at Daikin Park. Arraez and Dubón collided hard, and both immediately fell to the ground, though Dubón quickly jumped back up.
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Arraez rolled straight over to his left shoulder, however, and he remained down, completely motionless, for quite some time while Dubón and the Padres’ first-base coach checked on him.
Others quickly ran out to help him. Arraez was eventually placed onto a stretcher and taken off the field. He was moving his limbs and gave a thumbs-up as he was carted down the right-field line, via the San Diego Union Tribune’s Kevin Acee.
Arraez was taken to a local hospital for further testing. The team said he was stable, conscious, responsive and able to move his extremities. He was released from the hospital soon after arriving, and he returned to the Padres' clubhouse after the game.
“Obviously, very scary,” Padres manager Mike Shildt said, via The Associated Press. “We think he’s for the most part out of the woods. More time will tell, but the initial testing is very favorable. No fractures of any sort. I mean, he got a little bit of a laceration on his jawline, so we are worried about his jaw. We are worried about his cervical region. Everything was clear, stable on the initial testing.”
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Arraez did not speak to the media Sunday on the advice of the team's PR staff. He did, however, send a message to fans after the contest. In the message, Arraez said he appreciated everyone sending "prayers and kind messages." He rejoined the team in Detroit on Monday.
The game resumed after about a 15-minute delay.
“It was scary,” Dubón said, via The Associated Press. “I mean, just watching him not move. It was scary. Especially people know the type of player I am. I’m not a dirty player or anything. So it sucks. Worst part about it is you get death threats from stuff like this and everything. So it’s going to be a fun ride home.”
The Padres rolled to the one-run win thanks to a run from Fernando Tatis Jr. in the first inning on a scoring error and a Tatis solo home run that broke a 2-2 tie in the seventh. Gavin Sheets, who replaced Arraez in the lineup, hit an RBI single to score Tatis in the third inning, too.
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Arraez holds a .287 batting average with seven RBI and three home runs this season. The 28-year-old was traded to the Padres by the Miami Marlins last May. He led the National League with 200 hits last season and posted a .314 batting average in 150 games. The Padres struck a one-year, $14 million deal with him this past offseason.
The Padres' win Sunday avoided a three-game series sweep against the Astros. They now hold a 16-6 record. They wrap up their road trip with a three-game series against the Detroit Tigers beginning Monday.
