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Gabriel Arias Carted Off After Ugly Ankle Injury Against Cardinals

The Guardians' shortstop's spikes caught in the grass and he immediately clutched.

Gabriel Arias was in the midst of his best season of his four in the big leagues. Now, it looks like the Cleveland Guardians shortstop will be shelved for a while.

Arias, 25, was carted off the field in the third inning against the St. Louis Cardinals on Sunday after suffering an ankle injury. He moved back and to his right chasing a groundball from Cardinals shortstop Masyn Winn near where the dirt meets the grass. As he slid to attempt a stop, his left spikes became hung up in the grass and his ankle rolled over the top. Arias rolled a few times into left field and immediately clutched.

The good news for Arias and the Guardians is that x-rays taken immediately after the injury were negative, though he's still likely to be placed on the injured list given the severity of the twist.

Arias took over as the team's primary shortstop about a month into the season after a hot start and the struggles from reigning starter Brayan Rocchio. The former is slashing .232/.294/.370 with 31 RBIs, fourth on the team. His fielding run value ranks 14th out of 35 MLB shortstops this season.

The only player to start at short since May 9 other than Arias is utility infielder Daniel Schneeman. Schneeman has mostly split time with Angel Martinez at second base, but could slide into the everyday role if Arias misses time. The Guardians could also recall Rocchio, who has slashed .252/.353/.484 since being sent down to Triple-A Columbus in May.