53 Christian Walker 1B

Walker was placed on the 60-day disabled list with a facial fracture Saturday.

Walker suffered the fracture when getting hit in the head by a pitch Monday. The move doesn't have any effect on his return date, as he's already been ruled out for the year, but it clears space on the 40-man roster for Shelby Miller (elbow) to be activated in a corresponding move.

Walker was diagnosed with a deep bruise near his nose after being struck by a pitch during his eighth-inning at-bat in Monday's 7-4 loss to the Dodgers, the Associated Press reports.

Walker drew the start at first base and hit cleanup with Paul Goldschmidt resting in the series opener, going 0-for-3 with two strikeouts before exiting after the hit by pitch. Manager Torey Lovullo relayed afterwards that Walker was sent in for a CT scan, which indicated the 27-year-old avoided any facial fractures. While it sounds like Walker avoided a major scare, it wouldn't be surprising if he were held out of action for the Diamondbacks' final five games of 2018 for precautionary reasons.

Walker was hit in the head by a pitch and was forced to leave the game Monday against the Dodgers, Jack Magruder of The Sports Xchange reports.

Walker was visibly bleeding immediately after getting hit, but he managed to walk off the field while holding a towel to the wound. The extent of the injury is currently unknown but more news on his availability going forward should emerge after further evaluation.

Walker hit a pinch-hit solo home run Saturday against the Dodgers.

Walker took Clayton Kershaw deep in the sixth inning to record his second home run of the season and fourth of his career. He's received only sparing at-bats at the major-league level this season and remains firmly planted behind Paul Goldschmidt at first base. While the sample is too small to draw any kind of conclusion, even when Walker has gotten in the lineup, he has not been particularly impressive, batting just .214/.290/.464 across 28 at-bats this season.

Walker was sent down to Triple-A Reno on Monday.

Walker will return to the minors after going 2-for-5 during his first big-league start Sunday. The 27-year-old will likely be back with Arizona later this summer, but was cast off the 25-man roster in order to make room for A.J. Pollock (thumb), who was activated from the 10-day DL in a corresponding move.