D-Backs’ Caleb Smith injures hand on ‘frustrated’ punch, might need surgery
CLEVELAND — The Diamondbacks placed left-hander Caleb Smith on the 15-day injured list with a fractured right hand, an injury he sustained after throwing a punch in anger after his outing on Saturday, manager Torey Lovullo said.
Smith took out his frustrations after giving gave up two runs in two innings against the Braves in Atlanta.
“(He was) punching something that he shouldn’t have been punching,” Lovullo said. “I don’t know exactly what it was, but he was very frustrated when he came out of that game.”
Lovullo said Smith might end up requiring surgery. He was scheduled to meet with hand specialist Dr. Don Sheridan on Monday.
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“I’m frustrated,” Lovullo said. “I’ve had conversations with him and shared my frustration. He has been accountable to that. He shares the same frustration that I do and that his teammates do.
“He’s been throwing the ball really well. We need him here to win baseball games. The fact that we’re going to be missing him is painful. But what happened happened. I think we’ve got to learn from it and grow and hope that nothing like that happens again. He’s going to miss some time. That’s not what we need right now.”
Lovullo said he had heard a variety of timelines depending on the severity of the injury, noting that because the injury is to his right hand he should be able to continue throwing as he recovers.
Smith has logged a 3.99 ERA in relief this season.
The injury is a sort of exclamation point on a pair of trades that did not work out well for the Diamondbacks two years ago.
After giving up a pair of well-regarded prospects, including shortstop Liover Peguero, to acquire outfielder Starling Marte in January 2020, the club wound up flipping Marte to the Marlins the following August.
In exchange, the Diamondbacks received Smith, right-hander Humberto Mejia and left-hander Julio Frias.
Mejia struggled in five starts with the Diamondbacks last season and was released in May. Frias owns a 7.54 ERA in High-A Hillsboro.
Smith has been given multiple chances to hold onto a rotation spot with the Diamondbacks but has been bumped to the bullpen each time. He has a 4.63 ERA in 80 games (17 starts) in parts of three seasons with the Diamondbacks.
Reach Piecoro at (602) 444-8680 or nick.piecoro@arizonarepublic.com. Follow him on Twitter @nickpiecoro.
This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: D-Backs’ Caleb Smith injures hand on ‘frustrated’ punch, might need surgery
