D-backs lose Eric Chavez to strained right oblique

Veteran Eric Chavez has arguably been the most pleasant surprise for the Arizona Diamondbacks this season, as the third baseman has hit .325 with seven home runs and 25 RBI while playing solid defense.

No one expected the 35-year-old to be an every day player for the team, but his production practically forced him into the lineup.

And now an injury has taken him out of it. Chavez exited Thursday’s game with the Texas Rangers midway through an at-bat in the first inning, and the team later announced he had suffered a strained right oblique. He was replaced in the lineup by Cliff Pennington.

Chavez’s status going forward is up in the air, as the D-backs are in the midst of a long road trip and could ill afford to continue shorthanded. Team president Derrick Hall told Arizona Sports 620’s Doug and Wolf Friday the team would much rather keep Chavez out for a day or two and get him back on the field than rushing to put him on the disabled list and be without him for an unnecessarily long period of time.

“It’s a juggling act, it’s one that our medical staff deals with frequently, unfortunately,” he said. “And working with our baseball staff deciding what’s best when it comes to the roster and Eric Chavez.”

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