Arráez Back at Stadium Following Padres’ Victory Over Astros

Luis Arráez, the San Diego Padres’ designated hitter, was transported to a nearby Houston hospital on a stretcher after a collision during Sunday night’s game against the Houston Astros at Daikin Park. The incident occurred in the first inning when Arráez collided with the Astros’ Mauricio Dubón.

The collision took place as Arráez, batting second, grounded a ball wide of first base. Christian Walker, an Astros infielder, fielded the ball and threw it to Dubón, who was covering first base.

As Dubón moved towards the middle of the base, Arráez arrived at full speed, resulting in a neck-first impact with Dubón’s upper body and forearm. Arráez immediately fell to the ground, unable to cushion the impact.

The game was paused for 11 minutes while medical staff attended to Arráez. His upper body was stabilized before he was taken off the field via cart and transported to the hospital for further assessment.

Later that evening, Arráez, a three-time batting champion, returned to the stadium after the Padres’ 3-2 win over the Astros.

The 28-year-old infielder entered Sunday’s game with a .287 batting average and three home runs, nearly matching his total of four from earlier in 2024. Arráez joined the Padres in May through a trade with the Miami Marlins.

He previously secured the American League batting title in 2022 while playing for the Minnesota Twins and subsequently won the National League title in both of the past two seasons, representing the Marlins and Padres.