Steven Souza Jr.’s knee injury raised questions about the type of footwear Diamondbacks players ought to wear on Chase Field’s new artificial surface, with some wondering if the injury would have occurred had Souza been wearing metal spikes.
To be clear, Souza didn’t suffer the injury on the new turf; his foot slipped off home plate and he appeared to hyperextend his knee as a result. But plastic cleats are said to provide less traction than metal spikes, and players often wear plastic cleats on artificial surfaces.
Manager Torey Lovullo said the topic came up with coaches and front office members after Monday night’s game.