Diamondbacks' A.J. Pollock Out 4-8 Weeks After Thumb Injury Diagnosed as Fracture

Arizona Diamondbacks outfielder A.J. Pollock could miss four to eight weeks because of an avulsion fracture in his left thumb, the team announced Tuesday.

He initially injured himself attempting a catch during Monday's game against the Milwaukee Brewers and was pulled from the game early.

Pollock turned in his first All-Star season in 2015 and entered the 2016 campaign as a potential MVP dark horse, but an injury in spring training kept him out for most of the year.

The 30-year-old suffered a broken elbow on a headfirst slide, and he didn't return to Arizona's lineup until the end of August, which resulted in him appearing in just 12 games and hitting .244 with two home runs and four RBI.

Pollock returned to the lineup in 2017, but injuries were once again an issue, as he was limited to 112 contests.

Thus far in 2018, Pollock is hitting .293 with 11 home runs and a league-leading .620 slugging percentage.

All told, Pollock is one of Major League Baseball's few true five-tool players, as he can do a little bit of everything, including hitting the ball out of the park, as evidenced by his 20 home runs in 2015.

While potentially being without Pollock again is far from ideal, his previous absences in recent seasons did allow some other outfielders to emerge as solid contributors.

If Pollock is forced to miss some time, veteran Jarrod Dyson is the top candidate to move to center field with Chris Owings and Steven Souza potentially getting additional playing time as well.

The Diamondbacks have their shortcomings, but they boast one of the deepest teams in terms of offensive firepower, and that should allow them to continue being dangerous, even if one of their best all-around players winds up back on the shelf.