Former D-backs' Gold Glover Scratched With Similar Injury to 2024

The Diamondbacks' former Gold Glove winner is dealing with a similar injury to the one that sidelined him in 2024.

Feb 20, 2025; West Palm Beach, FL, USA; Houston Astros first base Christian Walker (8) poses for a photo at the Houston Astros media day. Mandatory Credit: Reinhold Matay-Imagn Images | Reinhold Matay-Imagn Images

Former Arizona Diamondbacks Gold Glove winner and current Houston Astros first baseman Christian Walker was scratched from Wednesday's lineup with left oblique soreness, according to the Houston Chronicle's Matt Kawahara.

Walker, 33, is unfortunately no stranger to oblique injuries. In 2024, he suffered an strain to the same left oblique, which ended up keeping the veteran slugger down for over a full month of the end-season stretch.

In fact, though Walker was anything but injury-prone in his Diamondbacks' tenure, the oblique region has been his one area of strife. In 2021, he spent two separate stints on the Injured List after straining his right oblique and re-aggravating it.

The Astros signed Walker away from the D-backs in the offseason, inking him to a three-year, $60 million deal in the hopes of raising the defensive ceiling of their first base position.

Walker has been a defensive stalwart throughout his career, and has seemed to only improve in that department with age. In 2024, he won his third straight Gold Glove award for the first base position.

Defensively, Walker was worth +10 Fielding Run Value and +13 Outs Above Average this past season. At the plate, he was good for plenty of hard contact, and was a generally consistent 30-homer producer for Arizona. If not injured to end 2024, he likely would have eclipsed that margin once more.

Walker has played in just four Grapefruit League games so far for the Astros. Over 10 plate appearances, he'd managed four hits, three of which were doubles. He's walked twice, scored two runs and only struck out once so far this spring.

But oblique injuries can put a damper on things. While there is yet to be an indication that the injury is severe enough to keep Walker sidelined for any significant time, it's certainly a possibility that the veteran might not be at full speed come Opening Day.

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