Peralta out with shoulder injury
The Diamondbacks placed left fielder David Peralta on the 10-day injured list for the second time this season, both coming as the result of a shoulder issue that has nagged him since May.
The injury is being termed the same as before — inflammation in the AC joint of the right shoulder — and while manager Torey Lovullo said an MRI on Thursday revealed improvement in the area from the last time Peralta had tests in May, he also said the club likely is going to be more conservative in bringing Peralta back this time around.
“I think what we’ve learned with David is he’s such
a team guy and wants to be out there that we’re maybe going to slow-play it until this is all done,” Lovullo said. “We’re going to be a little bit more cautious.”
Peralta’s first injured list stint cost him 11 games from late-May to early June. No timetable was provided, but it would seem likely he will be out longer on this stint.
When Peralta went down the first time, he was hitting .309 with seven homers and an .881 on-base-plus-slugging (OPS). He hasn’t been close to the same impact bat since returning, however, hitting .252 with just two homers and a .730 OPS.
“It’s not bad what I’m doing right now, but I know I can do way better than what I’m doing,” Peralta said. “I know what I can do. I know I can do a lot to help this team win games. But it’s not feeling right. It’s not happening. It’s not me.”
Peralta was replaced on the roster by infielder Domingo Leyba, who was recalled from Triple-A Reno, but Peralta’s at-bats likely will be split between Jarrod Dyson and Tim Locastro. It also probably means Ketel Marte will play more in center field, with the club using Eduardo Escobar at second and Jake Lamb at third more often.
While it’s debatable that even a diminished Peralta is better than their alternatives, the Diamondbacks believe the difference he can make in their lineup when he’s at full strength is significant. So does Peralta, though that doesn’t make going on the injured list an easy choice.
“Nobody wants to go there,” Peralta said. “I’m going to work really hard like I always do to get back as soon as possible, but at the same time I’m going to make sure I feel really good. There’s no point in me coming back and not feeling well if I’m not going to help the team.”
Said Lovullo: “We can’t take another step back with this. If that happens and it’s lingering, we’re missing a really good player — probably one of our best players, right? We don’t want that to happen again.”
Peralta, who said he was told the injury is not going to require surgery, still isn’t sure when he first hurt it, but he remembers aggravating it on a diving play at Chase Field in May. He said he felt it grab again on Wednesday night at Dodger Stadium when he tried to check his swing during a first-inning at-bat against right-hander Walker Buehler.
Lovullo said Peralta probably will not get much of an All-Star break with all the rehab he will undergo. Peralta said he will try to get back as soon as possible, but he also wants to be smart this time.
“I thought it was fine the first time, but it didn’t go as well,” he said. “We’re going to make sure the second time that it’s going to be good.”