Boston Red Sox manager Alex Cora expressed his disappointment after Christian Arroyo exited Sunday's game -- his debut at first base -- with a hamstring injury.
"First time at first, sometimes you make decisions like this, this happens," Cora said on the ESPN broadcast after Arroyo was pulled in the third inning. "I don’t feel good right now about myself putting him out there but he deserves the at bats. We'll see where it takes us."
Arroyo's injury took place as he stretched off the bag, essentially doing a split, in hopes of securing a Red Sox double play in the third. He immediately clutched his hamstring and came up gingerly before heading to the dugout. Bobby Dalbec replaced Arroyo at first base.
Cora offered a bit of an update after Boston's 9-1 loss, and his disappointment carried into postgame.
"It's most likely an (injured list) thing," Cora said on a postgame video conference. "He just felt it when he stretched. It's a hard one, right? Because we felt like, I mean, he was ready, of course, to play first, but he stretches and that happens. It's a tough one for us, but we'll bounce back. Most like Danny (Santana) will be here tomorrow. Well, Danny will be in Buffalo. We'll see how he feels, whatever, and we'll go from there."
Cora had said during a pregame video conference that he expected Arroyo to become Boston's starting first baseman when going up against right-handed pitchers. Dalbec, Cora said, would play against lefties. Arroyo's injury now throws a bit of uncertainty into that plan.
Arroyo has compiled a .273 batting average with six home runs and 25 RBIs in 49 games this season. He has been on the injured list twice already, and it unfortunately seems like he could be headed there for a third time.
