Batting champ Arraez 'focused on healing' after thumb surgery
This browser does not support the video element.
SAN DIEGO -- Padres infielder Luis Arraez underwent surgery on Wednesday to repair a torn ligament in his left thumb -- an injury that bothered him throughout the final four months of the 2024 season.
Arraez announced the news himself in a post on X on Wednesday, saying:
"Today, I underwent surgery on my thumb after pushing through an injured half of the season. Despite the pain, I continued to play, but it became clear that surgery was necessary to fully recover. The procedure went smoothly and I'm now focused on healing and getting back."
Arraez is expected to begin his hitting program in eight weeks, according to a team spokesman, and the club believes he’ll be a full participant in Spring Training.
Traded to San Diego in early May, Arraez was a seamless fit in San Diego. He took home the franchise's first batting title since Tony Gwynn led the National League in batting average in 1997. Arraez hit .314, albeit with a .739 OPS that was the second lowest of his career.
Arraez was clearly hampered by his thumb during the middle part of the season. He was named to the NL All-Star team, but skipped the game because of it, and he struggled for much of June and July.
Clearly, Arraez found a way to manage it down the stretch, however. From August into September, he posted a streak of 141 plate appearances without a strikeout -- the longest such streak in 20 years. He batted .328 over the season's final two months, reaching base at a .361 clip.
Still, the injury nagged him, and after the Padres' exit in the National League Division Series, Arraez looked forward to a healthier 2025 -- and, presumably, playing a season with the same team for the first time in three years.
"I'll be more strong next year," Arraez said. "I'll come back healthy. I'll come back with more energy. I want to play for only one team next year. I don't know if they'd trade me, but I want to stay focused for only one team. I don't want to think about trades. I just want to think about the San Diego Padres next year."
Arraez, who is entering his final season of arbitration eligibility, seems poised to get his wish. His singles-heavy approach may be polarizing. But not to the Padres, who view him as a spark -- both in terms of his skill set and his demeanor atop their lineup.
After trades in each of the past two years -- from Minnesota to Miami, then Miami to San Diego -- Arraez seems likely to stay put with the Padres in 2025. The question is: What happens beyond that? He’s slated to become a free agent after next season.
This browser does not support the video element.
"If they want to sign me, I want to stay here," Arraez said. "This is business. I understand the business. But I hope I stay here for a long time."
The Padres, of course, have other long-term question marks and several extension candidates this winter. But they clearly value Arraez. When he clinched the batting title on the season's final day, he was feted in the San Diego clubhouse. Arraez had become the first player to win three straight batting titles with three different teams.
"We did say," manager Mike Shildt quipped at the time, "that we expect the next couple [batting titles] to come for San Diego."