Impending Dodgers Free Agent David Peralta Has Apparent Surgery

Two weeks after the Los Angeles Dodgers were shockingly swept by the Arizona Diamondbacks in the National League Division Series, David Peralta shared a photo of himself from a hospital bed after undergoing an apparent surgery on his left elbow/arm.

Peralta did not provide any details of the operation, nor have the Dodgers.

During their press conference to wrap up the 2023 season, president of baseball operations Andrew Friedman and general manager Brandon Gomes said they were not aware of any pending surgeries.

Peralta began his career in NL West with the Arizona Diamondbacks as a rookie in 2014 and remained with the them until getting traded to the Tampa Bay Rays at the deadline in 2022.

Peralta underwent back surgery during the offseason and went on to sign a one-year, $6.5 million contract with the Dodgers. He’s among the 12 Dodgers who will become a free agent the morning after the 2023 World Series concludes.

The veteran outfielder remained healthy throughout the season and hit .259/.294/.381 with 25 doubles, seven home runs and 55 RBI over 133 games while primarily filling a platoon role in left field.

There weren’t any clear signs of when Peralta may have suffered a left elbow/arm injury, but he was hit by a pitch on September 10 and missed one game. X-rays were negative and Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said the only signs of Peralta getting hit were some swelling and baseball seams appearing on his skin.

Prior to that point, Peralta’s production at the plate had already tailed off in the second half. Despite some of those struggles, Peralta was in the Dodgers lineup for all three NLDS games, and he went 1-for-6 with a double and one strikeout.

Torey Lovullo appreciates David Peralta

While Peralta downplayed facing the Diamondbacks in the NLDS, manager Torey Lovullo expanded on their history together and strong friendship.

“Personally, David was a player that I gravitated to, appreciated his effort, his honesty, his ability to connect emotionally with me, the players around him, the staff,” Lovullo said.

“And then he connected with the community in an unbelievable way. I know he was a fan favorite because of the freight train and all that stuff. He’s emotional. But the things he did inside of our baseball community and inside of the Phoenix community are amazing.

“And a lot like Mookie Betts, I enjoy watching David compete and go out there. Of course, we don’t want them to do well. We try to figure out how to get them out at all times. But when I’m seeing them from afar and they’re having success and they’re helping the team win, I get pretty excited for them.”

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