Diamondbacks get unfortunate injury update on .736 OPS first baseman

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TL;DR

Pavin Smith of the Arizona Diamondbacks will undergo surgery on his left elbow and has been placed on the 60-day injured list. His recovery timeline remains uncertain, as initial treatments did not resolve the issue.

Diamondbacks get unfortunate injury update on .736 OPS first baseman originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.

The Arizona Diamondbacks will be without one of their first basemen for the foreseeable future.

According to the club's radio broadcaster, Chris Garagiola, left-handed hitter Pavin Smith will undergo surgery to remove loose bodies in his left elbow. Arizona transferred the 30-year-old to the 60-day injured list.

"That IL move ruled Smith out through the end of May. It’s unclear if he’ll be ready to return at that point. The initial diagnosis had merely been inflammation," Anthony Franco of MLB Trade Rumors wrote Wednesday.

"Smith’s elbow had been a nagging issue throughout Spring Training. He had a cortisone shot when he went on the injured list at the end of March, but that apparently wasn’t enough to treat the issue."

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Veteran Carlos Santana, 40, is on the 10-day IL with an adductor strain, and the Diamondbacks are currently using middle infielder Ildemaro Vargas at first base.

Smith was off to a slow start with the bat, collecting just one hit in eight trips to the plate. In 2025, he hit .258/.362/.434 with eight home runs while managing a .797.