PHOENIX (AP) - A.J. Pollock will have surgery on his fractured right hand in the next few days and Arizona manager Kirk Gibson expects the young outfielder to be sidelined approximately five to eight weeks.
Gibson, speaking before Sunday’s game against Cincinnati, said that timetable was just a guess.
The Diamondbacks placed Pollock on the 15-day disabled list and purchased the contract of outfielder David Peralta from Double-A Mobile. Peralta was in the Arizona lineup in left field for Sunday’s game, his major league debut.
Pollock, in his second full season in the majors, was hit in the hand by the Reds’ Johnny Cueto in the eighth inning of Saturday night’s 5-0 loss to Cincinnati.
He had been one of the team’s best players over the past month, batting .344 since April 4. That’s the third-best mark in the majors during that span, behind Troy Tulowitzki (.360) and Yasiel Puig (.354.)
In six games in this homestand, Pollock hit .522 (12 for 23). He is tied for second in the National League with four triples, seventh in slugging percentage (.554) , tied for seventh in doubles (16), and tied for eighth in extra-base hits (26).
“Polo was our hottest offensive guy,” Gibson said. “Losing him we’re going to miss some offense. We’re going to have to look at ways to make up that difference.”
Peralta was batting .297 at Mobile and was tied for the Southern League lead in RBIs (46) and doubles (17). He has a triple and six home runs.
Gibson said it remains to be seen what kind of outfield rotation the Diamondbacks would have.
Ender Inciarte started in center on Sunday, with Gerardo Parra remaining in right. Parra, however, is expected to see considerable play in center.
Pollock’s injury was the latest in a series that have befallen the Diamondbacks, the NL West’s last-place team.
Arizona lost its top starting pitcher, Patrick Corbin, and setup man David Hernandez in spring training. Both needed Tommy John surgery and are out for the season.
Outfielder Mark Trumbo, acquired from the Los Angeles Angels in the offseason, has been sidelined since April 22 with a stress fracture in his left foot. He isn’t expected back for at least another two weeks.
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