Arizona Diamondbacks star outfielder Corbin Carroll broke the hamate bone in his right hand and will undergo surgery Wednesday, leaving him out of the World Baseball Classic and in question to be ready for Opening Day.
Carroll, a two-time All-Star and the 2023 National League Rookie of the Year, broke the small, hook-shaped bone on his palm during a live batting-practice session Tuesday. He joins New York Mets star shortstop Francisco Lindor and Baltimore second baseman Jackson Holliday on the list of players to suffer hamate bone injuries early in spring training. Holliday will have surgery Thursday and miss Opening Day, the Orioles said, while Lindor also opted for surgery.
“I walked by him yesterday and asked how he was doing and he said, ‘I think I just broke my hand’ and I thought he was kidding,” Diamondbacks manager Torey Lovullo said of Carroll on Wednesday. “He wasn’t.”
Expected to play left field for the loaded Team USA in the WBC, Carroll will miss the tournament, which runs March 5-17. Only three outfielders — Aaron Judge, Byron Buxton and Pete Crow-Armstrong — are on the United States’ roster, with utility man Ernie Clement having played there sparingly.
Though the timeline on Carroll’s return is unclear, hamate injuries typically take four to six weeks of recover. Even then, hitters who return from hamate breaks say it can take months for their power to return.
Lovullo said the “early target” is for Carroll to be ready for the start of the regular season.
“Everyone said there is a potential for that to happen. [But if] we have to wait an extra day or two or a week to make sure we get Corbin for the whole season, I’m willing to sign up for that,” Lovullo said.
If Carroll is sidelined into the season, Lovullo said Alek Thomas is willing to move around as needed and Jordan Lawlar will be put “into the mix in center field.”
Carroll, 25, finished seventh in Major League Baseball last year with a .541 slugging percentage, hitting a career-best 31 home runs and leading MLB with 17 triples. Arizona, which finished fourth in the NL West at 80-82 last season, has one of the best foundations in baseball with Carroll, second baseman Ketel Marte and shortstop Geraldo Perdomo signed through at least 2030.
Since joining the Diamondbacks with the 16th pick in the 2019 draft, Carroll has thrived with his power-speed combination, finishing top six in MVP voting in 2023 and 2025. In 2025, his best season yet, Carroll hit .259/.343/.541 with 31 home runs and 32 stolen bases and became Arizona’s first member of the 30/30 club.
In his three full seasons, Carroll has hit .258/.341/.491 with 78 home runs, 121 stolen bases and 234 RBIs.
ESPN’s Jesse Rogers contributed to this report.
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