Diamondbacks veteran Carlos Santana suffers setback in injury rehab

ARLINGTON, Texas (AP) — Arizona Diamondbacks first baseman Carlos Santana, the oldest active position player in the majors, suffered a recent setback in his rehab from a right groin strain that has sidelined him since April 5.

Santana, 40, felt a twinge in the area of the injury on Saturday while playing for Triple-A Reno, Arizona manager Torey Lovullo said Monday before the D-backs’ game at Texas. Santana returned to Arizona for further evaluation.

“Kind of a bummer,” Lovullo said. “I know he’s been working really, really hard to come back. He hit a home run a couple of days ago, so I think his swing was coming around.”

He left Arizona’s April 5 game at home against Atlanta in the second inning after singling. It was his second hit in 24 at-bats, leaving him with a .083 batting average with no homers or RBIs in eight games.

Santana signed with the Diamondbacks as a free agent in early February after splitting last season between Cleveland and the Chicago Cubs, hitting a combined .219 with 11 home runs and 54 RBI.

This IL stint is just the fifth in Santana’s 17-year career and likely will result in his longest absence since his rookie season with Cleveland in 2010, when he missed the final two months with a sprained left knee.

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