Diamondbacks' Carlos Santana: Shelved by adductor strain
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The Diamondbacks placed Santana on the 10-day injured list Tuesday with a right adductor strain.
Santana suffered the injury in Sunday's game versus Atlanta and will need at least the next week-and-a-half to recuperate. With Pavin Smith (elbow) also shelved, the Diamondbacks' first-base and designated-hitter depth has thinned out. Ildemaro Vargas is at first base and Adrian Del Castillo is at DH on Tuesday against the Mets.
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Diamondbacks' Carlos Santana: Held out of Tuesday's lineup
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Santana (groin) is out of the lineup for Tuesday's game against the Mets.
The veteran switch hitter departed Sunday's game against Atlanta due to right groin tightness and remained in Arizona on Monday to undergo an MRI. The results of the imaging have yet to be disclosed, but Santana will be sidelined for at least one game. Ildemaro Vargas is receiving the start at first base for the series opener in Queens.
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Diamondbacks' Carlos Santana: Set for MRI
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Santana (groin) will remain in Arizona and undergo an MRI on Monday, Alex Weiner of ArizonaSports.com reports.
Santana was forced to leave Sunday's extra-inning win over Atlanta in the bottom of second inning after pulling up lame with a right groin injury while legging out a single. The first baseman will now stick around Arizona for an extra day to undergo additional imaging while the rest of the squad travels to New York ahead of the team's three-game set against the Mets beginning Tuesday. Ildemaro Vargas replaced Santana at first base Sunday, and he could be the next man up if Santana is forced to miss any action moving forward.
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Diamondbacks' Carlos Santana: Suffers groin injury
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Santana left Sunday's game against Atlanta with right groin tightness.
Santana recorded a hit in his lone plate appearance Sunday and is hitting .083 in 26 plate appearances this season. It's unclear how much time Santana will miss with the injury. Ildemaro Vargas replaced Santana at first base.
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Diamondbacks' Carlos Santana: Leaves with apparent injury
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Santana was removed from Sunday's game against Atlanta due to an apparent injury, Alex Weiner of ArizonaSports.com reports.
The veteran first baseman appeared to tweak something during his first plate appearance but remained in the game, only to be replaced by a pinch runner after hitting a single. Santana can be considered day-to-day for now, but his status should be updated in the near future.
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Diamondbacks' Carlos Santana: Idle Saturday
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Santana isn't in the lineup for Saturday's game against Atlanta.
Santana will get a chance to reset Saturday after going 0-for-17 over his last five games. Jose Fernandez will start at first base while Santana sits, and Adrian Del Castillo will serve as Arizona's designated hitter.
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Diamondbacks' Carlos Santana: Taking seat Wednesday
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Santana is not in the lineup for Wednesday's game against the Tigers.
Starting at first base will be Jose Fernandez, who clubbed two home runs in his first major-league game Tuesday. Santana had started the first five games of the season, going 1-for-16 with a 2:6 BB:K.
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Diamondbacks' Carlos Santana: Benefits from teammate's injury
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Santana started at first base and went 0-for-3 with a walk in Monday's 9-6 win over the Tigers.
Santana was in the lineup against a right-hander after Pavin Smith (elbow) was placed on the 10-day injured list Monday. The switch-hitting Santana, in theory, could start against pitchers of either hand, but it's uncertain how manager Torey Lovullo wants to handle first base going forward without Smith. Tim Tawa and Ildemaro Vargas are also options. Santana is 1-for-12 through four games played in the regular season.
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Diamondbacks' Carlos Santana: Doubles, scores in loss
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Santana started at first base and went 1-for-3 with a walk, a double and a run scored in Friday's 5-4 loss to the Dodgers.
Santana started the first two games of the regular season at first base against right-handers, while the lefty-swinging Pavin Smith dealt with an elbow issue early in the regular season. Those two are expected to share first base and DH early on. Designated hitter will become more crowded when Lourdes Gurriel (knee) is ready to rejoin Arizona. The soon-to-be 40-year-old Santana is coming off a 2025 season in which he posted a career-low .325 slugging percentage (11 HR, 22 XBH).
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Diamondbacks' Carlos Santana: Returns to Cactus League
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Santana started at first base and went 2-for-3 with an RBI and a run scored in Wednesday's spring game against the Cubs.
Santana played in his first Cactus League game since returning from the World Baseball Classic, in which he played for Team Dominican Republic. For the Diamondbacks, Santana is expected to share first base with Pavin Smith (forearm) and get regular turns as a designated hitter.
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Diamondbacks' Carlos Santana: Reaches deal with Arizona
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Santana agreed to a one-year, $2 million contract with the Diamondbacks on Tuesday, John Gambadoro of Arizona Sports 98.7 FM reports.
The 39-year-old split the 2025 campaign between the Cubs and Guardians, finishing the regular season with 11 home runs, seven steals and a .219/.308/.325 slash line in 124 games. Santana was cut loose by Cleveland in late August before being picked up by Chicago, but he played just eight games with the Cubs before he accepted being optioned to the Arizona Complex League in late September. The veteran first baseman should fill the small side of a platoon with Pavin Smith in Arizona, with Santana's ability as a switch hitter providing a path to more at-bats than a traditional platoon player.
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Cubs' Carlos Santana: Optioned to complex league
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The Cubs optioned Santana to the Arizona Complex League on Friday, Paul Sullivan of the Chicago Tribune reports.
Santana had to agree to the option, and he will be part of the Cubs' taxi squad during next week's National League Wild Card Series against the Padres. The veteran first baseman has gone 2-for-19 at the plate since signing with Chicago at the end of August.
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Cubs' Carlos Santana: Catches on with Cubs
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Santana agreed to a one-year deal with the Cubs on Sunday, Jon Heyman of the New York Post reports.
Santana won't join the Cubs ahead of Sunday's game in Colorado, but he's expected to be activated prior to Monday's home game versus Atlanta. The 39-year-old switch hitter was cut loose by the Guardians on Thursday after he had produced a career-worst .649 OPS with 11 home runs and seven stolen bases across 455 plate appearances. The Cubs won't have regular playing time available for Santana, but he could prove to be an upgrade over Justin Turner (.598 OPS in 166 plate appearances) as the short-side platoon mate at first base for the left-handed-hitting Michael Busch.
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Carlos Santana: Released by Guardians
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The Guardians released Santana on Thursday.
Santana went unclaimed after being placed on outright waivers Tuesday. His playing time has dwindled over the past few weeks, and he owns a career-low .649 OPS through 455 plate appearances, so the Guardians will now eat the $2 million still remaining on Santana's contract and part ways with the veteran first baseman. He's now free to sign with whichever team he would like, though his age and declining production may limit the amount of interest he receives in the open market.
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Guardians' Carlos Santana: Placed on outright waivers
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The Guardians have placed Santana on outright waivers, Zack Meisel and Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic report.
Santana has started just 10 of 21 games since the Guardians called up C.J. Kayfus, and the club might now be ready to completely sever ties with the veteran first baseman. The 39-year-old is slashing just .225/.316/.333 in 2025 and is owed a bit more than $2 million for the remainder of the season, so it seems likely he'll clear waivers. The Guardians could keep Santana if that happens, but it's likelier at this point that they move on.
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Guardians' Carlos Santana: Sitting again Sunday
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Santana is out of the lineup for Sunday's game against Atlanta.
Santana went 1-for-5 with a pair of walks while starting the first two contests of the series, but he'll retreat to the bench for the series finale. The 39-year-old looks to be fading into a part-time role, as he's now been out of the lineup five times in the Guardians' last eight games.
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Guardians' Carlos Santana: Playing time dwindling
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Santana is absent from the lineup for Wednesday's contest versus the Marlins.
It's the third time in the last four games Santana has been out of the lineup and the sixth time across the last 10 tilts versus right-handed pitching that the 39-year-old has sat out. C.J. Kayfus is handling first base for the Guardians on Wednesday.
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Guardians' Carlos Santana: Sitting in second straight
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Santana is out of the lineup for Sunday's game against the White Sox.
Jose Ramirez is getting a partial day off as the designated hitter, leaving no room in the starting nine for Santana. The switch-hitting Santana should still be locked into an everyday role against left-handed pitching, but he could have to settle for a part-time role versus righties if the Guardians remain committed to opening up playing time for younger bats.
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Guardians' Carlos Santana: Not in Saturday's lineup
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Santana is not in the Guardians' starting lineup against the White Sox on Saturday.
Santana will begin Saturday's game in the dugout despite logging four RBI during Friday's win. He has performed well at the plate over his last 10 games, going 10-for-33 (.303) with two doubles and seven RBI over that span. C.J. Kayfus will start at first base and bat seventh.
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Guardians' Carlos Santana: Shows out with four-RBI day
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Santana went 2-for-4 with a double, a walk, four RBI and a run scored in Friday's 9-5 win over the White Sox.
Santana got Cleveland on the board early with a two-RBI single in the first inning before adding another run-scoring single in the third, and he drove in his last run by drawing a bases-loaded walk in the fourth. The veteran first baseman has quietly been producing lately, batting 10-for-33 (.303) with seven RBI over his last nine games. Santana's ability to deliver in run-producing spots has been a great asset for the Guardians' lineup as they continue their playoff push.