The Cleveland Guardians want to keep an eye on their starting shortstop.
Gabriel Arias had to leave their win against the Kansas City Royals with right wrist inflammation.
He was pulled in the top of the sixth inning, but the issues started earlier than that, as he looked uncomfortable and in pain after striking out in the bottom of the fourth.
He walked slowly out of the batter’s box with an odd expression on his face.
Manager Stephen Vogt talked to him, and Arias stayed in the game for the following inning.
Then, Angel Martinez replaced him in the top of the sixth, moving to center field while Daniel Schneemann went to second base with Brayan Rocchio shifting to shortstop.
Following the game, Vogt hinted at Arias potentially missing some time if he didn’t feel much better in the morning.
“He’s doing all right,” Vogt said. “Obviously in a game like that, he takes a few swings where it’s barking at him, we’re trying to make sure that we keep him as healthy as possible so he can be out there as often as possible. We’ll see how he’s feeling tomorrow coming in.”
Arias was 1-for-3 with a single and a run scored before leaving.
If he misses time, Rocchio will be the obvious candidate to handle shortstop in his absence.
Notably, Arias dealt with a similar injury this season, as he missed four games in late August after being hit by a pitch on the right wrist.
He’s slashing .222/.280/.363 with 10 home runs and 48 RBIs in 113 games, and he’s had some timely hits to keep the Guardians’ postseason hopes alive.
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