Former beloved Toronto Blue Jays outfielder to return to Diamondbacks this weekend following freak ACL injury

Lourdes Gurriel Jr. could make his return to the Arizona Diamondbacks lineup as early as this weekend, following an ACL injury that sidelined him late last season.

Dbacks manager Torey Lovullo hinted at the possibility during an appearance on the Burns & Gambo Show, saying “Don’t be surprised if you see him in our lineup this weekend."

Gurriel is less than eight months removed from tearing his ACL near the end of the 2025 campaign.

According to reports from Francys Romero, he has already rejoined the team in Arizona as they opened a three-game series against Toronto on Friday.

The injury occurred on September 1 during a game against the Texas Rangers. In the sixth inning, Gurriel collided awkwardly while attempting to avoid center fielder Blaze Alexander on a fly ball in the left-center gap.

He immediately went down with a knee injury and had to be carted off the field. Typically, ACL recoveries take nine to ten months, but Gurriel appears to be ahead of schedule.

Although he wasn’t ready for Opening Day as he had hoped, Gurriel returned to game action earlier this week.

Playing with Double-A Amarillo, he recorded a walk and a double in four plate appearances, then followed that performance with a three-run home run the next day.

The Diamondbacks initially planned to ease him back as a designated hitter, but his rapid progress may change that approach.

Lovullo indicated the team will monitor his workload closely and evaluate how he responds physically.

“We’re going to just judge it on his volume and what he’s giving us,” Lovullo told reporters, including Alex Weiner of Arizona Sports.

Gurriel remained with Arizona this offseason by exercising his $13 million player option, choosing not to opt out of the three-year, $42 million contract he signed before the 2024 season.

Coming off the injury, it was the safer decision.

Despite posting a career-low 95 wRC+ in 2025, Gurriel still contributed offensively with 19 home runs and 10 stolen bases.

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