Reigning National League batting champion Luis Arraez has issued an encouraging update from his hospital bed after being knocked out and stretchered off the field in Houston on Sunday.
The 28-year-old San Diego Padres star and native of San Felipe, Venezuela calmed fans’ fears on Instagram by announcing he will be back with the club on Monday.
‘Dear fans and everyone who was concerned about me,’ Arraez began his Instagram post, which was written in both English and Spanish. ‘As you saw, I had to leave tonight’s game on a stretcher after a collision during a play. I was taken to Houston Methodist Hospital, where I underwent the necessary medical tests. Thankfully, there is nothing to worry about. I’m currently resting and plan to rejoin the team this Monday.’
Arraez collided with Houston Astros second baseman Mauricio Dubón after dropping down a bunt along the first-base line at Minute Made Park on Sunday. With Houston first baseman Christian Walker moving up the line to field the dribbler, Dubón was left to cover the bag, where he and Arraez crashed into each other.
Dubón held onto the ball to record the out but quickly realized that Arraez wasn’t moving. Both he and first base coach David Macias rushed in to check on Arraez, who was slumped over to his side. Trainers rushed onto the field to tend to Arraez while nervous manager Mike Shildt and right fielder Fernando Tatis Jr. watched helplessly.
It took roughly 10 minutes for play to resume as medical staff removed Arraez on cart to rush him to a nearby hospital.
Luis Arraez, the 28-year-old San Diego Padres star and native of San Felipe, Venezuela, calmed fans’ fears on Instagram by announcing he will be back with the club on Monday
Luis Arraez is left unconscious at Minute Made Park after colliding with Mauricio Dubón
‘I truly appreciate all your prayers and kind messages,’ Arraez said. ‘I want to thank the medical and paramedic staff of both the Padres and the Astros, as well as those who took care of me at the hospital. Most importantly, I thank God for His protection—I’m doing well now.’
Despite Arraez’s optimistic message, Shildt issued a few words of caution when speaking to reporters on Sunday night.
‘Obviously, very scary,’ Shildt said. ‘We think he´s for the most part out of the woods. More time will tell, but the initial testing is very favorable. No fractures of any sort. I mean, he got a little bit of a laceration on his jawline, so we are worried about his jaw. We are worried about his cervical region. Everything was clear, stable on the initial testing.
‘We’ve been burned before on testing, so we will be cautiously optimistic,’ he continued. ‘He did have a period where he wasn´t aware of where he was, so that’s clearly concerning. Everything is coming back to him now, and his initial testing from a concussion standpoint was favorable, but clearly, we are not out of the woods. All things considered, that´s a blessing.’
Dubón, a former Gold Glove winner, appeared to step on the wrong part of the base on the play, which may have led to the collision. Instead of putting his spike on the inside part of the bag, the 30-year-old native of Honduras stepped on the center of the base at the exact moment Arraez arrived.
‘It was scary,’ Dubón said. ‘I mean, just watching him not move. It was scary. Especially people know the type of player I am. I´m not a dirty player or anything. So it sucks.’
Arraez is seen being carted off the field after colliding with Houston’s Mauricio Dubón
Houston Astros first baseman Christian Walker (8) and second baseman Mauricio Dubon (14) watch as medics tend to Arraez. Dubon (right) said he received death threats Sunday
Despite Dubón’s, he said he’s since received death threats.
‘Worst part about it is you get death threats from stuff like this and everything,’ he told reporters. ‘So it´s going to be a fun ride home.’
He went on to insist there was nothing he could have done about the collision.
‘It sucks just having that play on him and everything,’ Dubón said. ‘Like I said before, there´s nothing I could have done. I braced myself and I thought I was going to get the worst out of it. I mean, I´m not a big guy.’
A winner of three batting titles with three different teams over the last three seasons, Arraez is a converted second baseman who now finds himself splitting time between first and designated hitter.
As seen on his Instagram account, Arraez and wife Gladys have three daughters: Emma, Esther, and Esthela.
