Corbin Carroll ‘dodged a bullet’ with shoulder injury, Lovullo says

Arizona Diamondbacks outfielder Corbin Carroll looks to have avoided a serious shoulder issue for a second time in a week’s span.

As manager Torey Lovullo put it while on with Arizona Sports’ Burns & Gambo, Arizona believes it has “dodged a bullet.”

“All early indications are very, very positive to the point where he’s in there taking a couple swings right now, testing it out and seeing how it feels,” he said Friday. “There’s potential for him to be playing a lot sooner than later. And I mean a lot sooner. We’re going to keep our fingers crossed that he continues to check some boxes and feel good enough to get back in the lineup.

“Here’s the situation with Corbin, he’s so in tune with his body. He is such a strong athlete — probably one of the strongest bodies I’ve ever seen. He has a surgically repaired shoulder and when something isn’t exactly right I think he — because he feel and understand things — it throws him off.”

At the time of the interview, Lovullo remained unsure if Carroll would find his way back to the diamond Friday night but later told reporters pregame that the outfielder would be in the starting lineup.

The update comes after the 2023 All-Star starter underwent imaging on the injury that forced him out of Thursday night’s loss to the New York Mets.

This doesn't look good.

Corbin Carroll leaves the game in visible pain after a swing. pic.twitter.com/UbraB4y5ua

— Bally Sports Arizona (@BALLYSPORTSAZ) July 7, 2023

During the seventh inning of the 9-0 defeat, Carroll was seen in visible pain after swinging at a breaking ball. He immediately grabbed his shoulder and began walking toward the dugout where he was met by a team trainer and manager Torey Lovullo.

After the game, the skipper told reporters the team received “some encouraging news” on Carroll and that the stability in his shoulder checked out. Despite the positives, Lovullo was unsure how many games he would miss or if he would go to the injured list.

It is the same shoulder that required surgery in 2021.

“The situation is there is no road map,” Lovullo said of Carroll’s shoulder ailments when asked if they could be a recurring issue. “There’s a couple of athletes who have had this situation, (Michael Conforto) up in San Francisco was probably the first main guy that I remember hearing about that had a situation like that. With Corbin, each bump and bruise he is trying to dissect exactly how he feels and what it means and what that response is.

“Is this the new normal for Corbin? … I wouldn’t be surprised to be honest with you. There is no template for what we can expect and what is around each corner. Sometimes we get blindsided, but we’re trusting the athlete in every situation when he’s giving us these evaluations and a bird’s eye view of how he’s feeling.”

Carroll has had a tough stretch as of late when it comes to his right shoulder.

Before his exit on Thursday, Carroll experienced shoulder discomfort in a 6-1 loss against the Tampa Bay Rays last week. He was eventually removed from the game in the fifth inning.

After the game, Carroll acknowledged he was shaken up by the injury, though was given the green light by team trainers and felt a weight had been lifted off his shoulders.

#Dbacks OF Corbin Carroll said he was shaken up a little with his shoulder soreness given his injury in 2021.

Luckily, he was given the green light and said a weight was lifted off his shoulders. pic.twitter.com/whVyehZPIY

— Tyler Drake (@Tdrake4sports) June 29, 2023

While he avoided the injured list, he still missed three starts because of the issue.

The D-backs are back in action Friday night against the Pirates. First pitch is slated for 6:40 p.m. on the Arizona Sports app, 98.7 or ArizonaSports.com.

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