The Diamondbacks announced that outfielder Alek Thomas has been placed on the 10-day injured list due to a strained left hamstring. Outfielder Jorge Barrosa was recalled in a corresponding move and will be making his major league debut as soon as he gets into a game.
Thomas, who turns 24 later this month, left last night’s game with some hamstring tightness and it seems the injury is serious enough that he’ll have to miss some time. Per Alex Weiner of AZ Sports, manager Torey Lovullo described it as “high Grade 1” since it’s between Grade 1 and Grade 2.
The young outfielder isn’t much of a hitter, having slashed .230/.273/.362 in his career thus far, but he is a strong defender in center. In 1,857 1/3 innings of big league work thus far, he has produced 11 Defensive Runs Saved and 11 Outs Above Average. Corbin Carroll has slid over from right field to center tonight and may stay there for as long as Thomas is out, with Lourdes Gurriel Jr. and Jake McCarthy likely to get regular work in the corners.
The injury to Thomas has allowed the 23-year-old Barrosa to get called up to the big leagues for the first time in his career and he’ll jump into the mix for outfield playing time. An international signing out of Venezuela, the switch hitter split his 2022 between High-A and Double-A. He hit 13 home runs in 123 games while walking in 12.1% of his trips to the plate and striking out at just a 15.4% clip. His combined batting line of .278/.372/.439 translated to a wRC+ of 112 and he stole 26 bases on the year.
The Snakes added him to their roster in November of that year to keep him out of the Rule 5 draft. He spent all of 2023 in Triple-A, pairing a 15.9% walk rate with a 16.3% strikeout rate. He added another 13 home runs and swiped another 15 bags. His .274/.394/.456 line led to a wRC+ of 110. Baseball America ranked him the club’s #23 prospect coming into this year while FanGraphs had him at #10 as of June of last year.
Barrosa is 5′,5″, 165lbs. Interesting.
You thinking what I’m thinking?
Uh, maybe?
I’m thinking cleanup hitter?
He can actually impact the baseball really well for his size been a popular dynasty sleeper prospect
Yeah, that’s no surprise. I think far too often scouts look at size when they should be looking at other factors. I knew a kid who was an excellent hitter and fielder. He was scouted and they said he was too small. He played college ball though and maintained excellent stats.
I also get they have a prototype of an MLB player which results in a higher success rate. But, I think they miss out on other Altuve’s in the process.
Flukebacks-80-82
Cry
The pitch clock claims another victim
Either that or the WBC must be to blame.
Lovullo and Hazen spent a lot of time with Barrosa during Spring Training this year and talked about him a lot with the media coverage. They knew he was the next man up this year in the OF. Interesting call.
Grichuk isn’t healthy enough yet. Pavin Smith could have been called as well and backed up Walker at first as well. But they chose Barrosa.
Might as well give the youngin a cup of coffee. At this point, they know what they have in Pavin. He may be listed as an OF, but he played zero innings there this spring, getting all his work at 1B & DH. Besides, they already have the LHH Jace Peterson to backup Walker at first in the <5 games this year he won't start, and the RHH Barrosa will have more opportunities, rotating in with the LHH OFs McCarthy & Carroll.
Barrosa’s actually a switch hitter.
Yknow whats sad.. his dad is a trainer and was for the White Sox.. oh wait.. maybe thats why he is hurt, as, given how bad the White Sox were hurt by soft tissue injuries, his dad clearly did not know jack about fitness even though he worked under one of the best in the league (Herm Schneider).
Off topic, but is anyone else watching the Rangers/Rays game on FS1? It may be the worst baseball broadcast ever. The camera can’t follow the ball, the announcers have completely disappeared. It’s VERY strange and embarrassingly bad.
Watching it now. It’s definitely poor production with jittery and random camera cuts. How many times do they need to pan right up into someone’s face. lol
The camera not following the ball would drive me nuts. However, watching a game absent announcers has got to be a plus..