San Diego Padres infielder Jake Cronenworth suffered a fractured right wrist on Friday night when he was struck by a fastball from Milwaukee Brewers reliever Andrew Chafin in the ninth inning of a 7-3 loss. Cronenworth was placed on the injured list on Saturday, with the Padres recalling infielder Matthew Batten from Triple-A El Paso to take his roster spot.
Here's a look at the play in question:
Jake Cronenworth had to leave the game after being hit on the wrist with a pitch pic.twitter.com/JSjjiO7RkF
— Talkin’ Baseball (@TalkinBaseball_) August 26, 2023
Cronenworth, 29, was in the midst of a disappointing season. Through 127 games, he'd batted .229/.312/.378 (93 OPS+) with 10 home runs and six stolen bases (on seven tries). His contributions had been worth an estimated 1.3 Wins Above Replacement, according to Baseball Reference's calculations. Cronenworth had previously been worth four-plus wins in each of the previous two campaigns, as well as 1.6 wins in the pandemic-shortened 2020 season.
The Padres did not announce a timetable on Cronenworth's return. Baseball Prospectus' injury database indicates that fractured wrists result in 55 days missed on average. If Cronenworth follows a similar pace, he would find himself out for the remainder of the season.
Batten, 28, is a former 32nd-round selection who made his big-league debut last season. In 28 career big-league games, he's batted .190/.277/.286 (62 OPS+) with a home run.
The Padres enter Saturday with a 61-68 record on the season, putting them an insurmountable 19 games back in the National League West. They're 6 1/2 back in the hunt for the third and final wild-card spot, though they also trail three other teams in that pursuit. The road will only be tougher now that they'll have to traverse it without Cronenworth.
