D-backs All-Star A.J. Pollock set for surgery on elbow

— -- PHOENIX -- The Arizona Diamondbacks have lost one of their best players to a serious injury two days before the opening of regular season.

All-Star center fielder A.J. Pollock fractured his right elbow with a head-first slide into home plate in the Diamondbacks' 7-4 exhibition victory over the Kansas City Royals on Friday night.

Manager Chip Hale said Pollock would require surgery and there was no timetable for his return. Hale said the club will know more on Saturday after the severity of the break is determined.

"We feel awful for A.J.," Hale said. "We're a family. It's like one of your family members taken away from you right now."

Pollock, in the major league lineup for the first time since being sidelined with a sore elbow problem early in spring training, held his arm in obvious pain as he left the field.

He did not come out onto the field to start the fourth.

"With his (earlier elbow) injury, he had one thing we worried about was him diving head-first, putting his hand down when he landed," Hale said. "There was too much stress there."

Pollock had been hampered by right elbow soreness since early March and mostly saw at-bats in minor league and intrasquad games. At one point, Hale said Pollock could start the season on the disabled list, but Pollock got enough at-bats in the last week to deem himself ready for Opening Day on Monday against the  Colorado Rockies.

Pollock, 28, is coming off an All-Star season in which he hit .315 with 20 home runs and 76 RBIs.

Hale said the attitude of the team is "next man up will have to perform. We'll move some guys around."

Socrates Brito would be the likely replacement for Pollock, but Chris Owings played some center late in the game.

Pollock's injury came in Arizona's five-run third inning.

After he doubled, he took third on Paul Goldschmidt's single, then started home on David Peralta's bouncer to second baseman Omar Infante. Pollock stopped, then went home when Infante threw home, evading the tag with the throw up the third base line.

"If he goes feet-first, he'd be OK," Hale said, "but the problem is the way the play played out. If he goes feet-first, he might have gotten his leg broke by the catcher. It's just unfortunate."

Pollock fractured the same elbow in spring training in 2010 and missed the entire season.

Said Arizona closer Brad Ziegler on Twitter: 

Information from The Associated Press was used in this report.