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Arizona Diamondbacks third baseman and leading trade-deadline target Eugenio Suárez exited Monday night’s eventual 5-1 loss to the Detroit Tigers after he was struck on the hand by a 95.6 mph pitch, but X-rays on his left index finger came back negative. He will get more testing Tuesday, he told reporters.
The incident occurred in the ninth inning when a 2-1 fastball got away from reliever Will Vest and hit Suárez’s right hand. He was in obvious pain immediately after:
Suárez was lifted from the game and replaced by pinch runner Blaze Alexander. Manager Torey Lovullo said after the game that they considered the situation day to day.
Any injury is a concerning one for both Suárez and the Diamondbacks mere days before Thursday’s Major League Baseball trade deadline. The D-backs have already signaled their intention to sell, first with a trade of Josh Naylor to the Diamondbacks, in light of their disappointing season to date. Suárez is positioned to be the most coveted bat available leading up to July 31.
The 34-year-old Suárez this season owns a slash line of .248/.321/.577, and his 36 home runs rank second only to Shohei Ohtani’s 38 in the National League. Earlier this season, Suárez hit his 300th career home run. He’s eligible for free agency at season’s end, which adds to Arizona’s trade motivations.
