Luis

Arraez

Some of this has to do with the Padres looking to create more financial flexibility, but Passan also notes that there aren’t many free-agent infielders available this off-season so the Padres could get back “a premium” if they traded either Arraez or Cronenworth. The 30-year-old Cronenworth had his worst season as a defender at second base last year and could potentially be aging into more of a 1B-only option, making it hard to play both him and Arraez. Neither player is a real threat on the bases or brings a ton of thump with their bat, so it makes sense for the Padres to look to see what they could get for either.

Arraez was dealing with a torn ligament in his left thumb according to Daniel-Alvarez Montes of ElExtraBase.com. Alvarez-Montes also notes that the surgery went well and that Arraez expected to be fully ready for spring training. The 27-year-old will attempt to lead the league in batting average for the fourth time in his short career.

With Arraez picking up a single, he clinched another “batting title” and it’s the third of his career; all with different teams. The 27-year-old finished with a slash of .314/.346/.392, but now gets a chance to hit at the top of the lineup in the postseason.

Shohei Ohtani raised his average to .310 tonight, but that still leaves an uphill climb for the batting title and triple crown. Arraez is at .314 right now. If Arraez goes 0-for-4 on Sunday, Ohtani could win by going 2-for-2 or 3-for-4. If Arraez goes 1-for-4, Ohtani would need at least four hits to overtake him.

Shohei Ohtani went 4-for-5 to raise his average to .309, but Arraez snapped out his mini-slump to retain most of his edge in the race for the NL batting title. He’s batting .314 after collecting three extra-base hits for the fifth time in his career. He last did so on June 3, 2023.

The NL batting title is probably down to Arraez (.312) and Marcell Ozuna (.310), unless Shohei Ohtani (.305) keeps up his recent pace and goes like 9-for-12 this weekend. Arraez, who won batting titles in the AL in 2022 and the NL last year, is getting lots of props for his lack of strikeouts, but he’s currently in a 2-for-28 slump.

Arraez didn’t start Wednesday, but it was labeled as more of a rest day than an injury absence. He’s dealing with a sore knee, but he’s fine to DH.

Arraez could have DH’d tonight, but Fernando Tatis Jr. was slated to DH as the Padres try to manage his workload as he comes back from a leg injury. As a result, Arraez is out of the lineup. He should be available off the bench.

Arraez striking out in two straight is pretty much the same as DiMaggio hitting in 56 straight. Arraez was iffy for tonight’s game after hurting his knee sliding into home on Monday, but he was able to DH without incident. He was removed for a pinch-runner in the 10th after a fielder’s choice.

Arraez was more upset about striking out for the first time since Aug. 10 than he was about the knee. He’ll probably DH if he is in the lineup Tuesday, but that’s been his spot for the most part lately anyway.