Diamondbacks Gabriel Moreno Exits Game With Leg Injury

In the top of the second inning against the Guardians, Arizona Diamondbacks stud young catcher Gabriel Moreno went down with a leg injury, while running out an infield single. He limped off the field with a trainer.

Moreno had homered in his first at-bat in the two-hole, helping the D-backs jump out to an early 2-0 lead, following Ketel Marte's 28th home run of the season.

In the top of the second, Moreno ripped a groundball off pitcher Logan T. Allen, but went down, grabbing his leg after running to first base.

Arizona will turn to backup Jose Herrera to finish the contest. It appears likely that Moreno suffered a groin or possible quad injury, although no official designation has surfaced from the team as of this writing.

Moreno had been having an excellent season, albeit with some short time spent on the IL dealing with a sprained thumb, but has hit to a .259/.342/.383 slash this season. He's been exceptionally hot as of late, slashing .313/.382/.438 in his last 15 games, and slugging .526 in his last seven.

If Moreno misses extended time, which does appear likely, the D-backs might turn to young prospect Adrian Del Castillo.

Del Castillo has slashed .319/.403/.608 with 24 home runs in Triple-A Reno this season, and although he isn't considered to be of the same defensive prowess as Moreno--as high a bar as that is--he has made strides in his defense behind the plate.

The D-backs tend to fare poorly without their young Gold Glove catcher behind home plate. Both his offensive and defensive production have crucial facets of Arizona's success. If Moreno misses extended time, they'll have to make do with Herrera and potentially Del Castillo to fill a sizable gap in their roster.

As there has been no official word on Moreno's injury yet, we will continue to update this story further as new information emerges.