BREAKING: ‘This is sad’ Padres confirm more bad news regarding Luis Arraez

 

 

Luis Arraez underwent surgery on Wednesday to fix a torn ligament in his thumb. The three-time All-Star shared the update on X, and Daniel Alvarez-Montes from El Extrabase reported that the Padres anticipate he will be fully recovered by spring training.

Arraez had been managing the injury since mid-June, when he tore a ligament in his left thumb while sliding into third base. He missed the All-Star Game to give his thumb a break but still participated in 70 of the Padres’ last 78 games and all seven of their playoff matches.

However, Arraez realized that surgery was necessary for a proper recovery, so after the Padres were eliminated from the playoffs, he underwent the procedure.

Despite posting an NL-best .314 batting average and claiming his third consecutive batting title this season, his overall performance wasn’t as strong as in recent years.

From 2022 to 2023, Arraez had an .829 OPS and a 130 wRC+, but in 2024, his numbers dropped to a .739 OPS and a 109 wRC+. While these figures remain above average, they are less impressive given his defensive struggles at first base and second base.

Unfortunately, he can’t attribute all his challenges to the thumb injury; he had a .310 average and 106 wRC+ before getting hurt, and a .319 average with a 113 wRC+ afterward. However, the injury likely did affect his performance, as his Statcast expected wOBA on contact decreased from .335 before the injury to .312 after, suggesting that the pain might have impacted his ability to hit the ball with power.

Despite a less-than-stellar year, Arraez is expected to be one of the highest-paid arbitration-eligible players next season, with MLBTR contributor Matt Swartz projecting a $14.6M salary for 2025.

As this is his final year of team control, Arraez aims to regain his strength and perform closer to his 2022-23 levels, whether to secure a larger contract in free agency or an extension with San Diego.

The Padres will be hoping for the same, as the best version of Arraez can serve as an excellent table-setter at the top of the lineup for hitters like Fernando Tatis Jr., Manny Machado, and Jackson Merrill.