Arizona Diamondbacks outfielder A.J. Pollock suffered a significant blow on Friday night when he fractured his elbow sliding into home plate head first.
The outfielder will need surgery and, having suffered the same injury in 2010 that kept him out for an entire season, is determined not to let that happen again.
“I’m going to push for it, yeah,” Pollock said of the prospect of returning this season, according to MLB.com’s Steve Gilbert. “That’s going to be my goal.”
Pollock had dealt with discomfort in the elbow all spring and had been limited as a result. There was, apparently, question as to whether he was at risk of further injury by playing through it.
Just watched AJ Pollock's session with the media. Sounds like there were lingering issues with the elbow, knew this might occur. (1/2)
— Jody Jackson (@Jody_Jackson) April 2, 2016
Whatever the case, it’s bad news for Arizona. Pollock was viewed as one of the team’s cornerstones, a vital returning player after an offseason in which the team went all-in with moves like this one. It sounds as though he’ll miss most of the season at minimum, and Arizona’s high hopes may need to be tempered as a result.
