Padres Manager Believes Rules Change 'Makes Sense' After Luis Arraez Injury Scare

The scene was jarring Sunday at Houston's Daikin Park.

San Diego Padres designated hitter Luis Arraez collided with Mauricio Dubon near first base after the Astros' second baseman raced over to cover the bag, and his momentum carried him into Arraez's running path. The collision to Arraez's head left the reigning batting champion inert for about 10 minutes while medics and athletic trainers attended to him on the field.

Luis Arraez and Mauricio Dubón collide at 1B.

Hope Arraez is okay. pic.twitter.com/Fi9RSaXz68
— Dillard Barnhart (@BarnHasSpoken2) April 20, 2025

While the game eventually resumed, Arraez was transported to Houston Methodist Hospital for further evaluation. He was placed on the 7-day concussion IL Monday.

"Thankfully, there is nothing to worry about," Arraez wrote on his Instagram account.

While that might be true for Arraez, Major League Baseball has a question on its hands. Could installing two first bases on the field — one in fair territory for fielders, another in foul territory for runners — prevent injuries like this in the future?

The purpose of the double first base is to reduce collisions between the defense and the batter-runner. The NCAA tested the novel rule in 2024. Could it be coming to professional baseball next?

Padres manager Mike Shildt isn't opposed to the idea.

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"Conceptually, it does check some boxes to me," Shildt said on the Starkville podcast with Jayson Stark and Doug Glanville. "It makes sense that let's just create a lane for everybody. ... I like what it's done on the rules side of it, where you've got to stay on the dirt versus the grass on the base path going to first, cleaning that up a little bit. I don't see why not. I don't think it's going to hurt the integrity of the game. And if it's going to preserve the safety of our players, then we should probably think about it."

If Arraez's injury was scary enough for Shildt to consider the rule change, perhaps others will as well.

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“It was just a sad moment, especially getting close to him and seeing him on the ground like that,” Padres star Fernando Tatis Jr. said of Arraez's injury. “You definitely get scared. You almost are going to tears, but just sit down right next to him and you start praying for him right away.”

Arraez is a three-time All-Star and two-time Silver Slugger Award winner. He has a chance to join a select group of players who have won four consecutive batting titles in 2025.

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The 28-year-old designated hitter has a .287 batting average in his first 21 games of 2015. He's won consecutive batting titles with the Minnesota Twins, Miami Marlins, and Padres, respectively, the last three years.

Arraez began the 2025 season slowly, needing 17 at-bats to collect his first hit. Since the Padres' fifth game of the season, Arraez has hit .347 in a span of 16 games. His 0-for-2, two-walk performance Saturday in Houston snapped a modest six-game hitting streak.

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