Corbin Carroll injured his left knee when he collided with a wall during an attempt to catch the ball during the Diamondbacks’ 11-4 win over the Rockies tonight. In the sixth round, Carroll jumped to try to catch a Ryan McMahon the ball flew, but both jumped and landed at an awkward angle, as McMahon’s shot bounced off the wall and resulted in an RBI double. Carroll was visited by the team’s coaches and left the field to the best of his ability, despite appearing visibly uncomfortable.
After the game, D’Backs manager Torey Lovullo told reporters (including Sports Bally Arizona) that Carroll’s knee just hit the padded area of the wall. “All the tests gave very very positive results, and he passed day by day….we dodged a bullet,” said Lovullo. This is definitely good news for Carroll and the Diamondbacks also have days off on both Monday and Thursday, so he could only miss three games if he needs a little more time to deal with any any lingering pain.
Entering the season as favorite contender for the NL Rookie Of The Year title, Carroll has lived up to those expectations, scoring 0.309/.374/.536 with four goals and 10 hits. steals (from 12 chances) in 107 appearances. Primarily split between the left and right, defensive stats are a bit different in Carroll’s glove usage, but there’s no doubting his overall worth. that. Carroll produced 1.1 fWARs in his first 27 games in 2023, a total of only 15 other players in the pro leagues topping this early in the season.
Carroll was the 16th overall pick of the 2019 draft and quickly rose to the top of the prospects rankings despite the cancellation of the 2020 minor season and a shoulder injury that cost him all but seven games. of the 2021 season. Returning to top form in 2022, Carroll hit .307/.425/.611 with 24 home runs and 31 stolen chances (of 36) across 442 PAs combined on Arizona’s three minor league affiliates, and then made a rapid impact in their first major league exposure. Called for his MLB debut last August, Carroll hit .260/,330/,500 against his first 115 PA on the Show.
Even before Carroll got off to a great start to the 2023 campaign, D’Backs had seen enough to make a long-term commitment to the midfielder, agreeing in March to eight-year contract extension worth at least $111MM. That deal seemed like a wise investment, as Carroll both played well and led the Diamondbacks to a 16-12 record and first place in the NL West. Filling in Carroll wouldn’t be hard for Arizona if it were only for a few games, because Lourdes Gurriel Jr. or Pavin Smith can handle off-court corner duties in the interim.
