Top-Ranked Diamondbacks Prospect's Season Ends With Shoulder Injury

The Arizona Diamondbacks' bad luck with shoulder injuries to top-rated prospects continues. According to the team's Director of Player Development Chris Slivka, infielder and high-ranked prospect Demetrio Crisantes suffered a posterior labral tear in his left shoulder. Surgery is scheduled and he will miss the rest of the year. He is expected to be ready to play again by 2026 Spring Training.

Previous players to miss all, or most of a season due to shoulder injuries are Corbin Carroll, Jordan Lawlar, and Druw Jones, all of whom were No. 1 draft picks. While Crisantes was a seventh-round pick in 2022, he shot up the prospect rankings with an outstanding 2024.

Cristantes was the fifth-rated prospect according to Arizona Diamondbacks On SI rankings entering the season. He also ranked No. 2 at Baseball America and No. 9 on MLB Pipeline.

Splitting time last year between rookie ball and Class-A Visalia he hit .341 with a .921 OPS. He finished the season with a 57 game on-base streak.

Promoted to the High-A Hillsboro Hops of the Northwest league, Crisantes appeared 34 games this year, hitting .252/.358/.415, .772 OPS. While he was being challenged in a pitcher's park at a higher level, the 20-year-old showed progress with 21 walks against just 19 strikeouts in 151 plate appearances.

Crisantes split his defensive innings between second and third base, and had made only three errors in 250 plus innings in the field.

This is a player who has tremendous confidence, and is likely to attack his rehab and recovery with the same positive attitude and work ethic he's shown throughout his young career. Speaking to him at the Spring Breakout event this past March, I asked him his thoughts about his great 2024 and being ranked so highly.

"I expect it for myself. I just wanted the opportunity. I got healthy from my injuries. And once I got the opportunity, I wasn't going to back down. I was only going up from there," Crisantes said.

We here at Arizona Diamondbacks On SI wish Crisantes a speedy recovery and return to full strength next spring.