NEW YORK (AP) — Arizona Diamondbacks first baseman Carlos Santana, the oldest active position player in the majors, was placed on the 10-day injured list Tuesday with a right adductor strain.
The designation is retroactive to Monday for Santana, who was injured during his lone plate appearance Sunday. The 39-year-old singled against the Atlanta Braves before being lifted for a pinch-runner in the Diamondbacks’ 6-5, 10-inning win.
Diamondbacks manager Torey Lovullo said he didn’t know the severity of the strain but expected Santana to be sidelined beyond the 10-day minimum.
“He’s going to miss some time,” Lovullo said before the opener of a three-game series against the New York Mets. “We’re not looking at 10 days. It’s going to be a little bit longer than that.”
The IL stint is just the fifth in Santana’s 17-year career and likely will result in his longest absence since his rookie season with Cleveland in 2010, when he missed the final two months with a sprained left knee. Cleveland placed him on the 7-day concussion list in 2012 and ’14 before he had a brief IL stint with the Kansas City Royals in May 2022 because of right ankle bursitis.
To replace Santana — who went 2 for 24 with no RBIs in eight games — the Diamondbacks selected the contract of first baseman Luken Baker from Triple-A Reno.
Baker was added to the 40-man roster in place of outfielder Jordan Lawlar, who was shifted to the 60-day injured list. Lawlar is sidelined with a fractured right wrist suffered when he was hit by a pitch last Thursday.
Lovullo said Baker will vie for time at first base with Ildemaro Vargas, who got the start Tuesday, and Jose Fernandez. Baker, who hit .206 with four homers and 22 RBIs in 73 games for the St. Louis Cardinals the previous three seasons, signed a minor league deal with the Diamondbacks in January. He was batting .242 with one homer and five RBIs in nine games at Reno.
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