HOUSTON – Diamondbacks shortstop Geraldo Perdomo exited Sunday’s 3-2 win against the Astros with a head contusion after being hit in the helmet on a line drive off the bat of Ketel Marte in the third inning.
“I’ve never seen anything like it,” D-backs manager Torey Lovullo said. “We were all hoping that the ball was going to clear him and it didn’t. He has not entered into the concussion protocol. He’s just in the observation stages. We feel like we dodged a bullet.”
The Diamondbacks will continue to monitor Perdomo on Sunday and into Monday, when they open a three-game series in Kansas City. According to Lovullo, Perdomo is currently penciled in to be the starting shortstop for the series opener against the Royals.
Perdomo singled to open the frame. Marte then lined a 1-1 changeup at 93 mph off his bat directly in the running path of Perdomo, who tried to leap out of the way between first and second base.
The line drive hit Perdomo’s helmet, and he immediately fell to the ground. Diamondbacks training staff and Lovullo ran out to check on Perdomo. Marte walked up to the area and took a knee while they tended to him.
“When you go out there and you see him laying on the ground, there’s a lot of uncertainty from everybody,” Lovullo said. “Then there’s some fear. 'Is he going to be OK?' He wasn’t saying much. So I asked the trainer if he lost consciousness and he said no. Once you check that box, you’re in a good spot, then he started to respond.”
The game was delayed for a few minutes while he was evaluated. Perdomo eventually sat up, met with cheers from the Daikin Park crowd, and then walked off the field on his own power. Marte patted him on the back as he walked off the field.
“That was scary the way he went down,” Nolan Arenado said. “We don’t like seeing that. Just to see him get up and walk off was huge for us. I think we’re all praying for him. That was great. He seems like he’s going to be good, which is huge because we need him.”
In the bottom of the third inning, Perdomo was replaced at shortstop by Ildemaro Vargas, who started the game playing first base, ending Perdomo's day.
Perdomo is batting .252 for the D-backs, with nine homers and 48 RBIs.