Ketel Marte had already shown how quickly one of his swings could create a dangerous situation. Less than a week ago, he rushed to the aid of a grounds crew member who had fallen to the ground after being struck by his home run ball during a bullpen session. On Sunday, an even more frightening incident involving Marte’s bat left the Arizona Diamondbacks facing a much bigger concern.
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“Geraldo Perdomo was hit in the head by a line drive off the bat of Ketel Marte while on the basepath,” Foul Territory captioned the clip on X.
The D-backs were tied 1-1 with the Houston Astros in the third inning of the rubber game. Geraldo Perdomo reached on a single, and Marte stepped into the batter’s box. Astros starter Peter Lambert threw an 86-mph changeup on a 1-1 count, and Marte lined it toward right field.
Perdomo was already heading toward second when he got in the path of Marte’s drive. The ball struck him on the head, sending Perdomo to the ground immediately. Athletic trainer Max Esposito and manager Torey Lovullo rushed over to him.
“When you go out there and you see him lying on the ground, there’s a lot of uncertainty from everybody,” Lovullo said. “Then there’s some fear. ‘Is he going to be OK?’ He wasn’t saying much. So I asked the trainer if he lost consciousness, and he said no. Once you check that box, you’re in a pleasant spot, then he started to respond.”
The replay showed that Perdomo jumped up to avoid the line drive. He even put his hands up, trying to stop the ball from hitting him in the face, but it hit his helmet, anyway. And the impact was so hard, he appeared unconscious on the ground. Esposito was trying to keep the conversation going with the $45 million star just to make sure he didn’t actually fall unconscious. Although his responses were minimal, the trainer and the manager were relieved to see him able to talk.
“I’ve never seen anything like it,” Lovullo said. “We were all hoping that the ball was going to clear him, and it didn’t. He has not entered the concussion protocol. He’s just in the observation stage. We feel like we dodged a bullet.”
Marte, who had reached first with a single, was squatting right by his teammate with a single word, but the concern on his face was quite apparent. Perdomo finally sat up, and the crowd clapped for him.
He remained still for a few moments. Then he got up, and the clapping from almost forty thousand people at Daikin Park became much louder. Perdomo walked off the field on his own. He was out at second anyway, but that was the least of Arizona’s concerns at that point.
Players getting hit in the head by pitches is quite common in MLB. Just about a month ago, Willson Contreras was hit by a pitch off Klein and had to leave the game, but getting hit in the head by a line drive isn’t that usual.
For now, the D’backs will monitor Geraldo Perdomo, particularly for Sunday and on Monday until they start the series against the Kansas City Royals. He is currently day-to-day, and the team will make a decision based on his status. However, the D-backs will hope Perdomo can avoid an IL stint.
Losing another player might be critical for D’backs
Arizona has 8 players on the injured list. The regular season is in its final stretch, and the franchise is second in the NL West with a 76-68 record after the 3-2 win on Sunday. More importantly, they are currently in the last Wild Card spot in the National League with a 0.0-game cushion.
That leaves them with little room to breathe. The shortstop’s four-year extension started this season, and he has been batting at .252 with a .725 OPS. While those numbers aren’t exceptional, the D’backs need all hands on deck, and the San Diego Padres are just 0.5 games behind a Wild Card spot. Even the smallest slip-up can cost them the playoffs this year.
That is something Lovullo is not ready to accept. Hence, the concern for Geraldo Perdomo. It’s a good sign that the player was able to walk off the ground unassisted. The Arizona Diamondbacks will surely hope that the 26-year-old returns to the roster on Monday to help them remain in contention.