Last night’s game was no fun in a number of ways, but probably the worst thing was watching outfielder Lourdes Gurriel get carted off the field, head in hands, after twisting his knee. At the time, there wasn’t a lot of medical information available, but manager Torey Lovullo said Gurriel would have further imaging today. The results of that are now back in, and it’s not good. While announcing some roster moves, the team dropped that Lourdes has a torn ACL – that’s the anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) in your knee, which connects your thigh bone your shin bone – or your femur to your tibia, in medical terms.
There are two ligaments in each knee, which cross over and form an “X” shape. The ACL is at the front of your knee, while its closely-related cousin, the posterior cruciate ligament (PCL) sits closer to the back side of your knee. This is a very common injury, with it being estimated that somewhere over a hundred thousand people a year in the USA tear their ACL. There are three levels of ACL injury, and it’s not quite clear where about Gurriel sits on the scale. However, the use of the word “tear” does suggest it may be entirely split, in which case surgery to repair it seems almost inevitable. We should know more after Lovullo speaks to the media later.
It comes just as Gurriel was coming off one of the hottest month in his career. After having only a .693 OPS through the end of July, he went on an impressive tear ah, surge in August, driving in 32 runs, the third-most in a calendar month ever by a Diamondbacks hitter, as he hit .264 with seven home-runs. This obviously brings the season to an end, and the question is whether he will be ready for Opening Day next season. One source states, “It usually takes six to nine months to recover from a torn ACL. Competitive athletes may need a little longer than this to heal fully before they’re cleared to return to their sport.”
Even the shortest end of that estimate would basically take us to the start of spring training, and I would not be surprised if Gurriel is still on the IL a month later. Again, the rehab may depend on the gravity of the injury, and I’m sure Jack and the other beat reporters will be getting as much info out of Lovullo this afternoon as possible regarding the situation. Gurriel is under team contract for 2026, at a price of $13 million, $1m less than this year. There is a team option for 2027 at $14 million, with a $5 million buyout. Based on the corresponding roster move, adding infielder Connor Kaiser, it seems Blaze Alexander may become a full-time outfielder for the D-backs the rest of the year. Though Jorge Barrosa gets the start in left tonight.
All the best to Gurriel in his recovery, and we look forward to seeing him back on the field again, at whatever point in 2026 that might occur.