Diamondbacks outfielder Lourdes Gurriel Jr. was diagnosed with a torn ACL just over a week ago, and Francys Romero of BeisbolFR reports that he underwent surgery today with 9-10 month recovery timetable.
In other words, Romero figures to miss the first half and could be back at some point in June or July, barring any setbacks or other changes to that timeline. Gurriel, 32 next month, is in the second year of the three-year, $42MM deal with Arizona that he agreed to during the 2023-24 offseason. That contract gives Gurriel the opportunity to opt out after the 2025 season, although he’s all but guaranteed to decline that opportunity given that he’ll miss half of next year. Assuming he doesn’t opt out, Gurriel will make $13MM next year and the Diamondbacks will hold a $14MM option with a $5MM buyout for the 2027 campaign.
The ACL tear was a bitter ending to what was a disappointing year at the plate for Gurriel. While he’s a limited defender who has never put up the gaudy numbers necessary to get much attention as a corner bat, the one-time All-Star has been incredibly consistent throughout his career in the majors. He’s settled in as a player who posts a wRC+ in the 105-115 range on an annual basis, with a 109 wRC+ overall for his career. This year was the exception, however, as he hit just .248/.295/.418 in 546 plate appearances. While he hit 19 homers, stole ten bases, and posted a career-low 13.9% strikeout rate, Gurriel’s .254 BABIP this year was more than 60 points below his career norm entering this season.
Given that unfortunate luck on batted balls, it’s perhaps not a shock that Gurriel under-performed his expected numbers this year for the first time since 2021. His .307 wOBA this year was in line with middling production from hitters like Xavier Edwards and Cedric Mullins, but his .320 xwOBA suggests his underlying performance was more in line with the performances of slightly above average offensive contributors like Mookie Betts, Nico Hoerner, and Carlos Correa. It’s also more or less in line with the sort of production Arizona has come to expect from Gurriel, and while those expected numbers didn’t help much this year they offer optimism that he can get back to his usual self once he returns from surgery next year.
Losing around half a season from Gurriel in 2026 is sure to a be a blow to the Diamondbacks, but a silver lining for the club is their deep group of outfield options. Corbin Carroll, Jake McCarthy, and Alek Thomas are all under team control for 2026 and beyond, while youngster Blaze Alexander and utility man Tim Tawa have both also gotten reps in the outfield in recent weeks and could help provide depth behind that group. Tawa and Alexander are both right-handed hitters who could help complement the otherwise left-handed outfield, but with Gurriel’s righty bat out of commission it might make sense for Arizona to explore adding a right-handed outfielder to the mix this winter. That’s especially true given the fact that Randal Grichuk was dealt away to the Royals at this year’s trade deadline, leaving plenty of room for another righty bat on Arizona’s roster. Tommy Pham, Austin Hays, and Austin Slater are among the options who could make some sense aside from Grichuk himself.