Diamondbacks lose Chris Owings to a broken finger just before the trade deadline

Expect Owings to miss several weeks, so they might need to trade for SS help

By Matt Snyder

Jul 30, 2017 at 6:42 pm ET • 1 min read

The Diamondbacks lost a game on Sunday, but possibly something more important. They also lost their shortstop, likely for a while, as Chris Owings was hit in the hand with a pitch. After the game, manager Torey Lovullo said that Owings' right middle finger is fractured.

Owings throws right-handed, so this is something that affects his ability to both swing the bat and throw the ball. The timetable on fractured fingers has generally been anywhere from three-to-eight weeks, so Owings could miss most of the remaining regular season.

The D-Backs are now tied with the Rockies for both wild-card spots at 60-45, holding a six-game lead over the Brewers. Obviously a contender, one wonders if they'll go out and get middle infield help before Monday's trade deadline.

Then again, it's not like Owings was crushing the ball or anything. He was 2 for his last 34 and hitting .171 with a sub-.500 OPS in July.

With Owings down, the Diamondbacks can turn to Ketel Marte at short (Nick Ahmed is already on the DL).

The most obvious trade target at shortstop is Reds All-Star Zack Cozart, who is on a rebuilding team and is a free agent after the season. Of course, Cozart is currently on the DL with a quad injury.

Still, it's something to watch here until 4 p.m. ET on Monday, which is the trade deadline.