Giants infielder Joaquin Arias was placed on the disabled list Monday following an appendectomy, according to Alex Pavlovic of the San Jose Mercury News. Arias was diagnosed with appendicitis Sunday and had successful surgery late that night after playing a full game at shortstop against Los Angeles. Hitting sixth, Arias went 1 for 3 with a double off Dodgers’ ace Clayton Kershaw in the losing effort.
A 3-4 week window is given for most players recovering from an appendectomy, but the results can vary. Braves outfielder Jason Heyward was out for 25 days following his surgery earlier this year, returning May 17th after going under the knife April 22nd. However, there have been cases of shorter recoveries. Matt Holliday took nine days and Adam Dunn took just six to return to game action in the 2011 season.
Nick Noonan has been recalled to take Arias’ roster spot. This is Noonan’s third crack at the big leagues, having made the Opening Day roster but been yo-yoed since his initial demotion on June 8th. Like Arias, Noonan can play multiple infield positions.
Arias was having a decent run for a bench player, batting .319 in 73 plate appearances since June 1st. The 24-year-old Noonan has struggled in his first few cups of coffee, hitting just .212/.256/.235. Per FanGraphs, Noonan hasn’t been a liability in the field or on the basepaths, scoring positive marks in both categories. All small sample size caveats apply.