Diamondbacks hoping Lourdes Gurriel Jr. spends minimum time on IL

SAN FRANCISCO — Arizona Diamondbacks left fielder Lourdes Gurriel Jr. suffered a left calf strain, but the injury may not keep him down for long.

The D-backs placed Gurriel on the 10-day injured retroactive to Monday as the corresponding roster move to first baseman Christian Walker’s return from the IL on Tuesday. Manager Torey Lovullo said the club is hoping Gurriel will be back after a minimum stint.

“We just felt like it was something that was going to linger for him, and if he continued to play it might be a little bit of a challenge for him,” Lovullo said. “Go ahead and knock it out, and get him back here as soon as possible.”

Gurriel confirmed he first felt the injury while running out of the batter’s box on a double play ball Sunday against the Los Angeles Dodgers.

He explained through Spanish interpreter Rolando Valles that he is not anticipating an extended IL stint but he will take his recovery day-by-day.

“The team among themselves, they made the decision together. It’s not something real serious, but they just want to be very cautious,” Valles interpreted. “Didn’t get the exact diagnosis, but he talked briefly with the medical staff and they think it’s something that within a short period of time should be completely healed.”

Gurriel was hitting the ball very well when he went down in the middle of a hot offense.

In 20 games since Aug. 8, Gurriel hit .338 with an OPS of .976 and eight extra-base hits.

The D-backs lose that production at the start of their sprint to the finish line with 24 games left on the schedule.

“It’s always complicated, we don’t choose when these moments happen. He’s got to stay mentally strong and he just wants to keep the momentum going,” Valles interpreted.

The Diamondbacks have had to fill in the gaps left by injuries all season. Ketel Marte (ankle) and Gabriel Moreno (adductor) continue to strides to get back off the IL, with Lovullo having expected to get back Walker then Marte and then Moreno.

Gurriel expressed belief in his understudies, saying the team has stepped up all year to manage injuries and will continue to do so.

Who will fill in for Lourdes Gurriel Jr.?

The Diamondbacks’ outfield depth is a bit pressed with Alek Thomas on the Triple-A injured list (oblique). That leaves an outfield of Randal Grichuk, Corbin Carroll, Jake McCarthy, Pavin Smith and Jorge Barrosa.

Against right-handers, Lovullo said he will give opportunities to Smith in left field with Carroll in right and McCarthy in center.

Versus southpaws, Walker’s return pushes Josh Bell to a primarily designated hitter role. That leaves three outfield spots for Grichuk, McCarthy and Carroll, although Barrosa received the start Tuesday in place of McCarthy.

“I’m here, I don’t want (Gurriel) hurt because he’s a great piece of the team, but I’m gonna do my best,” Barrosa told Arizona Sports.

Smith, primarily a first baseman, has played more right field in his career than left. Lovullo admitted he’s putting a lot of trust in Smith to handle this challenge.

“I think his breaks have been good enough. I think he’s athletic enough,” Lovullo said. “And Pavin, for me at times, has been put in a little bit of a tough spot, because we’ve asked him to focus primarily at first base, and all of a sudden, we’re getting him starts in left field when most of his outfield reps were coming in right field. So he’s been very adaptable, which I appreciate.”

Diamondbacks injury notes

– Marte participated in hitting and fielding on Tuesday, along with some higher intensity running.

“I think he was really challenging himself. That’s what I was told. He did some aggressive running, and it’s nice to know he’s ready to do that, and this is the level we’re at,” Lovullo said.

– Moreno took live at-bats on Tuesday.

– Walker (oblique strain) said it is a mental grind waiting to heal, and it can be stressful to watch games when he is not participating even when healthy. But he offered praise for how his teammates have performed over the past month.

“My perspective ends up looking at the offense a lot of times. That’s where my role is. The relentlessness in the late innings, it doesn’t matter what the score gap is whether we’re up by a couple or down by a couple. We’re always in a spot to score more runs. You can tax bullpens. You can tax starters. It’s a lot of fun. There’s a lot of protection in that current offense.”

Walker is looking forward to putting his body to the test back in a major league setting.

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