MLB insider casts doubt that Luis Arráez’s injury concerns are in rearview for Padres

Ever since the San Diego Padres traded for Luis Arráez, he has been a key component of their offense. In 64 games since being acquired, Arráez has slashed .314/.341/.394 and just made the All-Star Game for his good work. However, trouble has been lurking underneath what has otherwise been a great start to his Padres tenure.

Before the All-Star Game, it was revealed that Arráez was dealing with a thumb injury of some sort. While he has been able to play through the injury, the issue was significant enough where both he and the team thought it wise not to play in the All-Star Game.

While it was promising that Arráez homered against the Nationals on Tuesday, ESPN's Jeff Passan revealed that his thumb injury may continue to be a problem for a while.

Padres News: Luis Arraez's thumb injury threatens to derail his 2024 season

While Passan didn't reveal any specific details regarding Arráez's injury, the fact he mentioned it specifically in an unrelated article is notable, especially knowing he generally doesn't throw out speculation like this blindly. We know that Arráez jammed his thumb sometime in late June and his numbers since then tell an interesting story.

Starting at the beginning of July, his production has dropped off. In his 60 plate appearances this month, he is only slashing .276/.300/.379, and that is with the slugging boost from homering in his last game. Arráez is already a guy that doesn't impact the ball a ton under the best of circumstances, but his production while banged up has been extremely ordinary at best.

Once taken in the context of Passan's comments, this presents a real pickle for the Padres. If the injury was seen as serious, San Diego would just put Arráez on the IL. However, the issue is also probably impacting his ability to hit, and having a hobbled leadoff guy is problematic. The smart play is probably to give Arráez some time off so he can get treatment and heal up, but San Diego may also feel like they have to play him to stay in the playoff hunt if he is healthy enough to be on the field.

We'll see how this all shakes out, but Arráez's injury adds yet another wrinkle ahead of the trade deadline that the front office is going to have to find a way to work around.

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