Arizona Diamondbacks third baseman and major trade deadline chip Eugenio Suarez was not in the lineup on Tuesday against the Detroit Tigers after being struck in the hand with a pitch the day prior, all two days before the deadline.
Game 2 in Detroit. https://t.co/k9Xjx1ui6d pic.twitter.com/C4SG5fGp9j
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Suarez told reporters after the game that X-rays on his right index finger were negative. When he was hit with the pitch in the ninth inning, Suarez was looked at by a trainer and immediately grimaced in pain and flinched when the trainer examined the finger. As manager Torey Lovullo noted postgame, Suarez is not one to do that normally, so it was a scary omen for Arizona.
Suarez also said he was set to have more tests done on Tuesday. The negative X-rays do not necessarily confirm Suarez avoided a major injury that could sent him to the injured list, as the D-backs have seen with other hand injuries this season.
This is the first time Suarez has been out of the D-backs lineup since June 25, when Suarez missed two games after also getting hit on the hand by a pitch.
The third baseman is seen by many as the best player available at the trade deadline, certainly as the only All-Star holding that designation. ESPN ranks Suarez as the top target for the deadline and with good reason. He entered play on Tuesday tied for the league lead in RBIs with 87 and is tied for fourth in homers with 36. With Suarez on an expiring contract, the robust market for him and top prospect Jordan Lawlar waiting in the wings, there is logic to Arizona letting Suarez go despite his desire to stay.
Arizona was not the only team holding its breath at the moment of his injury Monday, as several contenders with a specific need at third base are reported to hold great interest in Suarez.
His OPS of .888 at third base this year sits over 300 points ahead of what the Chicago Cubs have gotten out of the position this year (.574), while other pennant hopefuls like the Milwaukee Brewers (.630), Tigers (.642), Seattle Mariners (.668), Philadelphia Phillies (.678) and New York Mets (.679) would receive a significant boost in production at the hot corner with Suarez as well.
