Diamondbacks place Paul Goldschmidt on DL with fractured hand

The Arizona Diamondbacks have placed first baseman Paul Goldschmidt on the 15-day disabled list with a fractured left hand, the team announced Saturday.

Goldschmidt was hit on the left hand with a pitch from Ernesto Frieri on Friday night, nearly inciting a dust-up when both benches cleared to discuss the matter. Cooler heads prevailed, but the Diamondbacks are sure to be fired up Saturday, and Pittsburgh Pirates hitters would do well to beware any insider offerings from Chase Anderson.

The National League West now has yet another top slugger on the sidelines, as Goldschmidt joins Troy Tulowitzki as NL MVP-candidates watching games instead of suiting up.

The 26-year-old Goldschmidt it hitting .300/.396/.542 on the season, a mirror image of his 2013 season, and has 19 home runs with 69 runs batted in, 75 runs scored and nine stolen bases. He leaves active play tied for fifth among NL hitters in wins above replacement with 4.2 and in weighted runs created plus, which controls for Chase Field's friendly confines, with a mark of 156, indicative of offensive production 56 percent above league average.

Even though the Diamondbacks are long out of the playoff race, it always hurts to lose a star, and it's an unfortunate turn for an increasingly popular player.