After telling reporters that the loss of A. J. Pollock, center-fielder for the Arizona Diamondbacks, was a bigger than expected, manager Chip Hale quickly switched gears. Confident Pollock will return before the end of the season, Hale is now ready to insert his All-Star into the line-up, and make sure Pollock does not wither until next February.
Given the unknown element of productivity Pollock can bring to the team, just the presence of this 2015 Gold Glove recipient should provide a spark to a team laden with despair and desolation. The injury sustained by Pollock, a fractured right elbow and shattered on the next-to-the-last pre-season game on April 1, was feared, and given the existing, fragile composition of his elbow, the possibility of a long-term damage was very real.