Diamondbacks’ Gabriel Moreno, Lourdes Gurriel Jr. exit game vs. Phillies with injuries

The Arizona Diamondbacks pulled starting catcher Gabriel Moreno in the bottom of the sixth inning of a 5-4 win at the Philadelphia Phillies on Friday due to a sprained left thumb.

The D-backs then removed left fielder Lourdes Gurriel Jr. in the eighth inning due to left elbow soreness, the team said.

Moreno was having a big day at the plate with a single and a two-run homer in three plate appearances. He blasted a Taijuan Walker sinker 433 feet in the third inning to take a 3-0 lead. The shot was the furthest homer of his big league career.

In the first inning, Moreno hit a liner to left field and tried to stretch it into a double, but he was thrown out at second. He attempted to dive around infielder Edmundo Sosa’s glove, which led to an awkward tag. It is unclear exactly when the injury occurred, but he grabbed at his thumb after getting tagged out.

Backup catcher Tucker Barnhart entered as a defensive replacement for Moreno to catch pitcher Jordan Montgomery.

Moreno and Barnhart are the only two catchers on the 26-man team, although the D-backs also have Jose Herrera on the 40-man roster. Hot-hitting prospect Adrian Del Castillo (1.014 OPS) is another option in Triple-A Reno.

Gurriel also homered off Walker on Friday and recorded a pair of hits. He struck out in the seventh inning and bent over after an off-balance swing. He remained in the game for an inning.

Randal Grichuk entered as his replacement.

D-backs broadcaster Jody Jackson reported postgame Moreno’s X-rays came back negative and Gurriel did not have X-rays taken.

Lovullo says x rays were negative on Gabi’s thumb. Lourdes elbow is sore -no x ray. He said he feels good about them avoiding the injured list right now but he will see how they feel when they wake up.

— Jody Jackson (@Jody_Jackson) June 22, 2024

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