Arizona Diamondbacks star rookie Corbin Carroll was removed from Thursday's game against the Tampa Bay Rays (TB-ARI GameTracker) because of right shoulder soreness. Carroll appeared to tweak his shoulder during a swing:
At the time of his removal, Corbin was 0 for 2 in the game.
In May 2021, Carroll underwent season-ending surgery to repair a posterior capsular avulsion and a labrum tear in that same shoulder, an injury he likewise suffered on a swing. However, it's not known whether his current soreness involves the same portions of the shoulder complex or is any way related to his prior injury.
This season, the 22-year-old Carroll has been one of the best players in all of baseball. In 79 games for Arizona this year, he's slashed .290/.366/.559 with 17 home runs, 20 doubles, 24 steals in 26 attempts, and plus fielding in the outfield. That's in keeping with expectations coming out of the minors, and Carroll right now finds himself in the mix for NL Rookie of the Year and NL MVP laurels. Fred Lynn in 1975 and Ichiro Suzuki in 2001 are the only players to win both awards in the same season.
Consequently, Carroll has been an essential part of the upstart D-Backs' success thus far in 2023. They entered Thursday's slate with a 48-33 record and a 2 1/2-game lead over the Giants in the NL West standings. While there's presently no indication that Carroll's injury is serious, any extended absence for the rookie would be a serious blow to Arizona's hopes.
