Nolan Arenado left today’s 5-3 Diamondbacks loss to the Braves with what the club described as left trunk discomfort. The third baseman told MLB.com’s Rick Farlow and other reporters post-game that he would “probably get an MRI,” and admitted that he was “worried” given his unfamiliarity with the nature of the soreness.
“I just felt a little bit of pain under the intercostal area, I don’t know,” Arenado said. “I haven’t felt that before. I had to get taken out of the game. I felt it before the at-bat. But it didn’t feel like pain or anything. When I swung, it wasn’t getting drastically worse, but it didn’t feel right….I just didn’t want to mess around with it.”
Arenado said he “felt a little something” while putting on his leg guard prior to his at-bat in the fourth inning. While grounding out to third base, Arenado looked uncomfortable while running down the base line, and he was replaced by Ildemaro Vargas as Arizona’s third baseman in the bottom of the fourth.
The injury scare occurred just a day after perhaps Arenado’s best game of the season, as the third baseman hit two homers in the Diamondbacks’ 10-3 over the Braves on Saturday. Arenado is now up to 20 home runs for the ninth time in his 14 MLB seasons, and he is hitting .241/.321/.443 over 458 plate appearances for the D’Backs. The 108 wRC+ is still well below Arenado’s standard from his prime years, but it represents a nice rebound from the 84 wRC+ he posted in 436 PA during an injury-marred 2025 season with the Cardinals.
With 2.2 fWAR over 118 games, Arenado has been a source of stability for the Diamondbacks in their battle for a wild card slot. A trip to the injured list for Arenado would be a setback to Arizona’s playoff hopes, and Vargas and Tim Tawa would likely be called upon to share third base duties in the interim. Jordan Lawlar is on a rehab assignment and is nearing a return from the 60-day IL, though while Lawlar has third base experience, he has been used exclusively as an outfielder in the majors and minors in 2026.
