Nolan Arenado left Tuesday’s game in the seventh inning after he was hurt running the bases, and Arizona finished the night without its third baseman in a 7-5 win over the Giants. Jose Fernandez came on to replace him and may be the next man up if Arenado cannot play.
Fernandez entered in the seventh and went hitless in his lone at-bat, but the bigger question for Arizona was the one that followed the final out: how long Arenado might be out. The club did not plan to have him undergo imaging, and manager Torey Lovullo downplayed the injury afterward, saying Arenado was considered day-to-day.
That matters because Arizona’s third-base picture can change quickly if Arenado needs even a short break. Fernandez is the likely fill-in, which gives the Diamondbacks a direct backup plan without forcing a bigger shuffle if the injury settles quickly.
For now, the most important detail is that the team is treating this as a short-term issue rather than something that immediately points to a larger absence. If Arenado wakes up sore or cannot handle the field on the next day, Arizona already knows who is next in line.
