Kendall Diggs battling through injury for Arkansas
Arkansas head coach Dave Van Horn detailed Thursday an injury that junior outfielder Kendall Diggs has been battling through during the 2024 season for the fifth-ranked Razorbacks.
This week featured two days off before a return with voluntary workouts Wednesday for the Hogs, and that time off was much-needed for a guy like Diggs, who still might not play Friday.
The Olathe, Kansas, native is batting just .208 in conference play with an on-base percentage of just .303, but it's worth noting the injury he's been playing through.
"The biggest issue is he’s hurt," Van Horn said. "He hurt himself sliding head first on a field that had a little too much water on it in the first inning and he stuck basically and he hurt his left shoulder, his non-throwing arm.
"He didn’t really say a whole lot about it, although we were really worried about him when it happened. Because I have seen that a dozen times. Usually something happens. Usually a tear, and it pops out, pops in."
That slide occurred all the way back on March 10 in an 18-5 win over McNeese State — the final weekend game before the start of SEC play.
"I think it was early in the game," Van Horn said. "I don’t know. The guy probably gave him a steal sign and it was a play at the plate. He slid headfirst and kind of didn’t slide real good. And the first inning, it was a little wet there. We’ve had the injury a lot.
"(Matt) Goodheart had it. Not to add onto that. His was really bad. I can go as far as back as my second year with Danny Hamblin. His shoulder just started popping out all the time. Kendall is not quite as bad, but it is still annoying. But yeah, that’s when it happened.”
To make matters worse, Diggs hit a wall in Game 3 at Kentucky on Sunday and he's been hurting again, Van Horn said.
"When he hit the wall the other day in the first inning against Kentucky in Game 3, when the ball went off the top of the wall and bounced out, he fell down," Van Horn said. "It’s bothering him again. We’re not sure if he’s going to start tomorrow or not. The pain’s starting to go away, and then he hits the wall again. So he’s dealing with that.
"I just want him to be up front with me and tell me that he’s pain-free, or I don’t want to play him. That’s my thing. I just want him to not have anything mental, something lurking in there thinking, ‘I can’t swing at that pitch, I can’t hit that pitch, and that’s why I’m not hitting that pitch.’ I’d rather play somebody else."
For the season, Diggs ranks fourth on the team with 42 hits and his 11 doubles are the most of any Razorback batter. He's also tied with Wehiwa Aloy for the team lead in strikeouts (46) and his .247 batting average for the year is the lowest of the lineup regulars.
"He had a really good game Friday at Kentucky," Van Horn said. "He drove in four runs, double, single. Not so good after that. Saturday he probably felt the same way he did Friday and not much happened. And then Sunday he kind of hurts himself after he had … I don’t think he’d even hit yet. We’ll see how it goes today."
Van Horn said Diggs didn't swing in Wednesday's voluntary team workout, but he was doing other activities and playing defense. Diggs is expected to swing Thursday, plus Van Horn added that the junior right fielder said he's feeling better.
Diggs slashed .299/.436/.547 with 12 doubles, 12 homers and a team-high 63 runs batted in as a sophomore in 2023.
The Razorbacks will open the series against Mississippi State at 6:30 p.m. CT Friday at Baum-Walker Stadium in Fayetteville. The game will be streamed live on SEC Network+.