Corbin Carrolls struggles may have a clear answer
The immediate success of Corbin Carroll was a significant factor in the early season success of the Arizona Diamondbacks. It is no coincidence that with Carroll facing the biggest slump of the year, his team has gone from first to third in the NL West while being 10.0 games back.
Perhaps a slump was going to happen anyways, as they were inevitable, but another reason lines up with when he had his drop off. Similar to Anthony Rizzo’s swing in production, Carroll has been dealing with a lingering injury.
For context, two years ago, he underwent then-season-ending surgery on his shoulder to repair a posterior capsular avulsion and a labrum. While his surgery was obviously successful, given that he made his MLB debut so quickly, his shoulder is not 100%.
In late June, he re-aggravated his shoulder on a swing and had to leave a game against the Tampa Bay Rays. He likely injured his shoulder initially swinging and has, on several occasions, this season, like against the Rays, appeared to be dealing with discomfort in his shoulder after certain swings.
Whether a mechanical issue or structural, his production has decreased since that original injury against the Rays. Looking at his month to month stats, there is a notcable drop off.
March/April: .309/.374/.536, 13 XBH, 10 SB, .910 OPS
May: .267/.379/.500, 10 XBH, 6 SB, .879 OPS
June: .291/.348/.631, 17 XBH, 8 SB, .979 OPS
July: .250/.337/.463, 7 XBH, 9 SB, .800 OPS
August: .200/.333/.250, 1 XBH, 3 SB, .583 OPS
While August has only been a six-game sample size and his .800 OPS in July is not bad, there is still a noticeable dip in his production. With such a strong June, it is easy to see how his shoulder may have impacted his play, especially with his worst power month being July and August slated to be even worse.
As the Diamondbacks slip down the standings, if they ever find themselves on a significant losing streak, Carrol may find himself shut down if his production stays down and his shoulder continues to bother him.