Veteran Outfielder Lost for the Year?
With two out in the bottom of the 8th inning of a game the Nine were leading 5-0, Chicago hitter Tomas Duran stepped up and hit a looping foul ball down the left field line. Luis Costello, racing in at top speed, made an amazing catch to retire the side.
Unfortunately, he got his leg tangled in the auto-tarp system, and the impact of his dive sent a totally uncomfortable jolt running through him.
“I figured it was bad when I first saw it,” said manager Bill Inkster.
X-rays confirmed trainer Julian Carmona’s on-field diagnosis: Costello broke his fibula. The good news is that the break was clean, and that it should eventually heal to full strength. The bad news is that (1) no one is 100% certain of the future, and (2) that future is at least three months off, leaving some to wonder if the 28-year-old might miss the rest of the season.
Costello, who had been inserted as a defensive replacement for Rex Foster, was hitting .289 at the time of the accident, with three homers and a .315 OBP. He’d split time in left with an occasional dip at center field.
“It’s a big loss,” Inkster said. “I like having a guy you can put anywhere out there.”
Costello himself was fatalistic in the moment. “It really sucks,” he said. “I think these guys are really getting it together, so I was hoping to be around to enjoy another trip to the post season.” He sighed then, and shrugged. “I’ll try to keep up with my fitness and do what I can do. At that point it’s just up to the big guy upstairs about what happens.”
