In the late stages of spring training, the primary goal of every team is to remain healthy with Opening Day fast approaching. Unfortunately for the Arizona Diamondbacks, they could not finish the spring completely healthy, losing center fielder A.J. Pollock to a fractured elbow. A timeline for Pollock’s return is not yet known, but he’s likely to be out for a significant chunk of the regular season, a crushing blow to Arizona’s chances this season.

Pollock has become one of the most underrated players in the game and one of the players the Diamondbacks could least afford to lose to injury this season. With Ender Inciarte being traded during the offseason, Pollock was likely to step into the leadoff spot for the Diamondbacks, giving him the responsibility of setting the table for the power hitters in the middle of Arizona’s lineup. Pollock hitting leadoff was not ideal, but he was Arizona’s best option for that spot. Without him, the Diamondbacks have a massive question mark regarding their leadoff hitter.

Replacing Pollock in center field will be no easy task for Arizona, as the team’s outfield depth took a big hit when Inciarte was traded. David Peralta is an option, but he’s far from an ideal choice to handle center field defensively, and moving him would just open up a hole in right field. There’s also been talk of Chris Owings seeing time in center field, but he would have to far exceed expectations to come close to Pollock’s offensive production, and he obviously has little experience playing center field as a professional.

The best option the Diamondbacks have to replace Pollock may be prospect Socrates Brito. Despite having an impressive skillset and the potential to be an everyday player in the big leagues, Brito has just 33 at bats above double-A, all of which came in a cameo appearance with the Diamondbacks last September. Brito should be able to handle himself defensively, although being flanked by Peralta and Yasmany Tomas puts a great deal of pressure on him to cover a lot of ground in the outfield. However, despite some success in his brief big league career, he could surely benefit from more minor league seasoning. Asking him to produce in the majors starting on opening day would be asking a lot of Brito.

Barring a trade on the eve of the season, the Diamondbacks may not have much of a choice other than to put Brito in center field and hope for the best. Defensively, he should be fine, but making up for Pollock’s absence offensively will be a challenge, on top of the fact that the Pollock was Arizona’s best option to hit leadoff. This makes the injury to Pollock on the eve of the season a potential disaster for the Diamondbacks, who began the spring with such high hopes.