Diamondbacks’ Corbin Carroll suffers broken hamate bone, questionable for Opening Day

SCOTTSDALE — Arizona Diamondbacks All-Star outfielder Corbin Carroll suffered a broken hamate bone in his right hand during live batting practice on Tuesday, a team source confirmed to Arizona Sports.

MLB.com’s Steve Gilbert first reported the injury, while ESPN’s Jeff Passan added that he will undergo surgery on Wednesday.

Diamondbacks spring training officially began on Tuesday with pitchers and catchers reporting, while full squad workouts are on Sunday. Opening Day is six weeks away on March 26, and Carroll’s availability for the start of the regular season is in question.

Carroll is expected to miss significant time this spring, including the World Baseball Classic, as he was set to represent the United States.

The hamate bone is between and below the pinky and ring fingers, and breaking it is a somewhat common injury for baseball players with a typical six-to-eight-week return timetable. Mets shortstop Francisco Lindor and Orioles second baseman Jackson Holiday are dealing with hamate injuries as camp begins, as well.

Carroll was not hit by a pitch. He suffered the injury on a swing, a foul ball.

“It was a live BP swing, and from what I was told he just hit a home run,” manager Torey Lovullo said. “He went out there, had a couple really nice swings and then one was a foul ball that ended up causing the damage in his hand.  It’s a part of the game.”

If Carroll is back within six weeks, there is a chance he won’t miss many regular season games if any, which would be significant for a D-backs team that faces a difficult schedule early on.

Arizona opens the season with three games against the Los Angeles Dodgers, followed by series against the Detroit Tigers, Atlanta Braves, New York Mets, Philadelphia Phillies, Baltimore Orioles and Toronto Blue Jays, all of whom made moves to compete for the postseason this year.

Carroll is coming off a 2025 season for which he finished seventh in the National League MVP voting. He played 143 games, hit 31 home runs, 32 doubles and a league-leading 17 triples with an .883 OPS. He also was a Gold Glove finalist.

Carroll missed some time last season due to a broken left wrist, but he pushed to get back on the field after only three weeks.

Veteran third baseman Nolan Arenado, who watched the injury happen, said he sees players break their hamate bones every spring training, noting that the injury is frustrating but not a long-term issue.

“As long as he rehabs it right, he’ll be just fine,” Arenado said. “He’ll come back absolutely great. We’ll just hold the fort down.”

What will the Diamondbacks do in the outfield with Corbin Carroll injured?

The Diamondbacks’ outfield was already thin this spring, as Lourdes Gurriel Jr. will start the year on the injured list as he recovers from a torn ACL. Arizona traded utility player Blaze Alexander last week to the Orioles and dealt outfielder Jake McCarthy to the Rockies last month.

If Carroll starts the year on the IL, that leaves Alek Thomas, Jorge Barrosa, Tim Tawa and Jordan Lawlar as outfield options on the 40-man roster. Top prospect Ryan Waldschmidt, Tommy Troy, Kristian Robinson and A.J. Vukovich are non-roster invitees in big league camp who could compete for roles, as well.

Lovullo said he spoke to Thomas about being more versatile this season, the idea being that Lawlar learning to play outfield could benefit from sticking to one spot, which would be center field. There’s still a lot to sort out.

“Alek is a great  center fielder, we know that,” Lovullo said. “I just want to take a look at all of my options possible.”

General manager Mike Hazen noted after the Alexander trade that the D-backs could replace him with an external addition, someone who could provide defensive versatility.

The Diamondbacks entered spring training with plenty of questions but boasted the stability from their core atop the lineup with Carroll, Ketel Marte, Geraldo Perdomo and Gabriel Moreno.

What about the World Baseball Classic?

Lovullo said Carroll was very disappointed that he will not play in the WBC. Carroll told Arizona Sports in November that it had been “one of my biggest goals.”

According to MLB insider Jon Morosi, Steven Kwan (Guardians), Tyler Soderstrom (Athletics), Riley Greene (Tigers), Roman Anthony (Red Sox), James Wood (Nationals), Wyatt Langford (Rangers) and Kyle Stowers (Marlins) are options to replace Carroll on Team USA’s roster.

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