Diamondbacks OF Steven Souza Jr. Slips on Home Plate, Suffers Gruesome Knee Injury
Diamondbacks outfielder Steven Souza Jr. suffered a season-ending knee injury on Tuesday night, tearing his ACL, LCL and PCL according to MLB.com's Steve Gilbert.
Souza's season ended as he crossed home plate against the White Sox during an exhibition game at Chase Field in Phoenix. His left knee buckled as he slipped on the plate, collapsing to the ground before grabbing his leg. Souza was carried off the field by Arizona's medical staff.
"We're all with him, praying for him for a speedy recover," Diamondbacks outfielder Adam Jonessaid postgame. "It sucks, especially 48 hours before opening day, that's really the big bummer about it. It's very unfortunate."
Souza battled a pectoral injury throughout 2018, missing the first month of the season. The five-year veteran came to Arizona in 2018 after three seasons with the Rays. He is a career .233 hitter with 70 home runs and 371 hits.
Arizona finished third in the NL West in 2018 at 82–80. The Diamondbacks will likely start Jones alongside Ketel Marte and David Peralta in the outfield on opening day. They face the Dodgers on Thursday, with first pitch in Los Angeles slated for 4:10 p.m. ET.
