Former Diamondbacks Star Sidelined with Familiar Injury

On Thursday, former Arizona Diamondbacks first baseman Josh Naylor was forced to exit the Seattle Mariners' eventual walk-off win over the White Sox early, with a familiar injury appearing to arise once more.

Naylor left before the top of the fourth inning, after appearing to be in legitimate discomfort after his earlier swings. Diamondbacks fans remember all too well a similar situation while Naylor was on their team.

The new shoulder injury is reportedly unrelated to his previous tweak — affecting his left shoulder, rather than his right.

Veteran first baseman Donovan Solano took over at first base for the first time since Naylor joined Seattle.

Former Arizona Diamondback Josh Naylor Leaves Game Early

Naylor looked to be in pain in his first at-bat, then grimaced in his next on his way to first base. It was later revealed that Naylor was suffering from shoulder soreness, an issue that he dealt with as a member of the D-backs.

Ironically enough, the game Naylor left as a Diamondback was also against the White Sox, facing the same starting pitcher that Seattle faced Thursday — right-hander Shane Smith.

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Smith has been a dangerous arm to face for members of the D-backs this season. In the same game Naylor left on June 23, Eugenio Suárez (who is now also a member of the Mariners) was hit on the hand by a pitch and had to sit out the next game.

Suárez survived Thursday's game, but Naylor may miss some time, though the injury does not appear to be serious.

"We're going to get some answers here and monitor it and see where he's at,” Mariners manager Dan Wilson said to MLB.com's Daniel Kramer. “I think it's just a day-to-day kind of thing.”

When Naylor dealt with his D-backs' injury, he missed one game, then came back on June 25. He was clearly not 100%, however, and eventually went on to miss a handful of games before coming back for good on July 2.

Since then, Naylor has been durable, but his aggressive method of swing can understandably lend itself to minor injuries of that nature.

The D-backs traded Naylor to Seattle ahead of the 2025 Deadline in exchange for a pair of pitching prospects. They later traded Suárez to the Mariners for first baseman Tyler Locklear and two more arms.

The D-backs' fingerprints are all over a Seattle club looking to push for a postseason berth. Former Diamondback Dominic Canzone (who was traded for Paul Sewald in 2023) recorded the walk-off hit in Thursday's game.

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