Diamondbacks outfielder Socrates Brito underwent surgery today after being diagnosed with a broken hamate bone, the club announced. He suffered the injury preparing for winter ball, per the release.
Brito, 24, is expected to play a significant role in Arizona’s outfield mix in the near future. There’s little reason to believe the injury will prevent him from returning to the majors in 2017, though the lost development opportunities — and, perhaps, a delayed start to Spring Training — certainly harm his hopes of cracking the roster out of camp.
Entering the 2016 season, Brito was seen by many as a breakout candidate. He had shown well in a brief debut the season prior, and an opportunity opened when A.J. Pollock went down late in the spring. But Brito ended up taking only 97 MLB plate appearances, posting an anemic .179/.196/.358 batting line.
Still, the Snakes’ new front office surely still hopes that Brito can make an impact at some point in the coming year. He did put up a useful .294/.322/.439 slash in his 317 Triple-A plate appearances, and he’s viewed as a quality defender.
DBacks claimed Hazelbaker last week which should cover this injury for the start of the season for them. I’m not sure Brito was ready to make a huge impact anyways. He’ll probably start the year in AAA and wait for injury/underperformance from someone else
He “broke” the bank with that name. Lol