D-Backs hit hard with 3 injuries on weekend

Other than the occasional bout with the flu, the Diamondbacks position players have been a relatively healthy group through the season’s first six weeks. That changed this weekend.

After catcher Chris Iannetta was placed on the seven-day disabled list on Sunday morning, a move that came two days after he was hit in the face by a 93 mph fastball on Friday night, the Diamondbacks lost outfielders A.J. Pollock (right groin) and David Peralta (right glute) to injuries that knocked them out of their 6-4 loss to the Pittsburgh Pirates.

In terms of severity, Pollock’s appeared to be the most alarming, both in the way it looked on the field and in terms of parsing the center fielder’s postgame comments.

Pollock hobbled to first base after lining a single to right in the 10th inning on Sunday, then slammed his helmet on the ground in anger. He sounded frustrated when speaking with reporters, his answers shorter than normal.

“It wasn’t good,” he said. “We’ll see. I’ll come in tomorrow. … They said that tomorrow, with these things, you do it and then the next day is the day you want to really evaluate it.”

The groin is becoming a trouble spot for Pollock. Last season, an injury to his left groin cost him the final three weeks of the year. He tweaked the same groin again in spring training, sidelining him about two weeks.

“It’s frustrating,” he said. “What are you going to do? It’s just one of those things.”

Playing it safe

When he spoke to reporters Sunday morning, Iannetta was hopeful he wouldn’t need to miss much time. But the club placed him on the disabled list shortly before first pitch on Sunday, and Iannetta said after the game he understood the thinking.

Iannetta said he didn’t struggle with any concussion tests, but noted that those symptoms can sometimes pop up several days after an injury. In addition, the stitches he received on his split upper lip are sensitive.

“With my position, if I get hit again in the face, I’m more susceptible to something more serious,” he said. “Even with the mask on, there’s still that pressure. And when I throw down to second or rotate my mask, I could rip the stitches open. As much as I want to be out there, I’ve got to leave it up to them to put my best interests in mind.”

The move was retroactive to Saturday, meaning that, with Thursday’s off day, Iannetta might only miss four more games.

‘Not a big deal’

Peralta said he felt discomfort in his glute while swinging during his final atbat of the game in the seventh inning. He described his departure as precautionary, insisting the injury is minor.

“When I feel something that’s not right, it’s better to not keep playing and do something worse and then aggravate what’s in there,” he said. “It’s not a big deal. I’ll be fine. We’ll see how it’s going to react tomorrow. It’ll be fine.”

Peralta missed games on the most recent road trip due to flu, and he missed large chunks of time last season with wrist and back problems.

Move coming?

Iannetta’s spot on the roster went to reliever Silvino Bracho, who was promoted from Triple-A Reno.

Manager Torey Lovullo wouldn’t speculate on whether any of his injured players might require stints on the disabled list, but he did acknowledge that the club might need to do something to get another position player on the roster.

The club had only four bench players on Sunday, a reality that factored into the outcome of the game.

Lovullo ran out of position players and had to use starting pitchers Patrick Corbin and Zack Greinke in the 10th inning.