A.J. Pollock Smashed His Thumb On What Wound Up Being An Inside-The-Park Homer

A.J. Pollock has been among the top National League players in WAR for much of this young season, but he also just cannot catch a break. In the ninth inning of the Diamondbacks’ 7-2 loss to the Brewers Monday, the outfielder laid the hell out for a Tyler Saladino line drive that turned into an inside-the-park home run. Pollock’s been diagnosed with a left thumb sprain, but this looked so much worse, smashing his wrist into the ground before his body flailed right behind it:

Pollock’s injury allowed Saladino to dash around the bases in, according to Statcast, 15.53 seconds with a sprint speed of 28.2 feet per second—which was the second-fastest home-to-home time behind Carlos Gomez, who clocked in at 15.01 seconds on a triple and an error in 2015. Saladino’s four-bagger didn’t determine the game’s outcome, as Milwaukee was up 5-2 before the hit, which made Pollock’s injury all the more frustrating:

It’s all quite bleak for Pollock and the Diamondbacks, who have now lost six in a row. Depending on its severity, a sprained thumb can typically sideline a player anywhere from a few weeks to several months. Pollock’s been thrilling when he’s healthy but has only managed to string together one season with at least 150 games played out of his seven-year career. He’s set to visit a hand specialist on Tuesday, at which point the team should have more clarity on if he’ll need to miss extended time.