Arizona Diamondbacks outfielder Alek Thomas suffered an oblique strain, a club official said Arizona Sportsand landed on the seven-day minor league injured list on Tuesday.
Thomas was sent down to Triple-A Reno last week and is expected to be out about a month. He last played for the Aces on Sunday as a designated hitter.
SI’s Jack Sommers first reported the injury.
Thomas missed much of the first half of this season due to thigh problems.
On April 1, he was placed on the injured list for the first time with a strained left thigh, a month later he suffered a setback during rehab and did not return to the lineup until July 2.
Despite some key moments, particularly a grand slam against the San Diego Padres, Thomas was unable to find his offensive rhythm.
The 24-year-old managed a batting average of .188/.253/.338 after his injuries. Needing more infield talent with Ketel Marte suffering an ankle injury, Arizona took the opportunity to put Thomas in the starting lineup every day in Triple-A. Jake McCarthy saw more playing time than Thomas and earned the majority of the playing time.
“We love Alek. He’s part of this team. He’s a big part of why we got to the World Series last year, and hopefully he’ll continue to have an impact on this team this year,” said manager Torey Lovullo Burns & Gambo by Arizona Sports following the decision to give Thomas an option last week.
“Some of the at-bats have been inconsistent and Jake has to be in the lineup every day. It’s difficult because I think you don’t want Alek to just sit on the bench and not play.”
Four weeks would keep Thomas out of action until mid-September. The Diamondbacks are already without Marte, Christian Walker and Gabriel Moreno on the injured list. That means four of their nine starting players from Opening Day are on the injured list.
