The Diamondbacks are poised to recall top prospect Jordan Lawlar, according to a report from Nick Piecoro of the Arizona Republic. Lawlar is already on the club’s 40-man roster, so only an active roster move will be necessary to promote the former No. 6 overall pick.
The promotion is a long time coming for Lawlar, who actually made his big league debut back in 2023 with a 14-game cup of coffee in late September. He hit just .129/.206/.129 in that brief stint in the majors, though the Diamondbacks nonetheless had enough belief in their top prospect to carry him on their postseason roster that year as a pinch hitter and defensive replacement. He got only two plate appearances during that postseason run, although he did draw a walk and score a run against the Rangers in the World Series.
It seemed like a given that Lawlar would play a big role in the Diamondbacks’ 2024 plans after his debut in 2023, but things unfortunately didn’t quite work out that way as he was limited to just 23 games last year by thumb surgery and a hamstring strain. The youngster hit an astounding .367/.439/.592 in the brief period he was healthy enough to play at the Triple-A level last year, but there simply wasn’t enough time left in the calendar for Lawlar to get a promotion to the big leagues by the time he was back in game shape after those injuries.
Headed into 2025, Lawlar was once again held back from joining the big league roster. That’s in part due to the presence of clear everyday players at every position he plays (Ketel Marte at second base, Eugenio Suarez at third base, and Geraldo Perdomo at shortstop), but also an acknowledgment of Lawlar’s lost season in 2024 and the developmental hurdles associated with that.
After Lawlar lost nearly an entire year of reps, Arizona brass appeared to be concerned about the impact a part-time role in the majors would have on his development. Lawlar has forced the issue across 37 games at Triple-A so far, however, with a .336/.419/.579 slash line in 179 plate appearances. Lawlar’s knocking on the door has evidently become impossible to ignore, and the Diamondbacks will now need a find a way to work all four of those infielders, first baseman Josh Naylor, and DH Pavin Smith into the lineup on a regular basis.
Piecoro notes that manager Torey Lovullo said he believes that if Lawlar could get into four games per week while mixing and matching positions, then that would be enough playing time for him to stay fresh and avoid falling behind on his development.
Removing any of Suarez (117 wRC+), Marte, (154 wRC+), Smith (175 wRC+), Naylor (125 wRC+), or Perdomo (138 wRC+) from the lineup for even a day is a not insignificant hit to the Diamondbacks’ offense, though of course Lawlar’s own contributions as a consensus top-30 prospect in the sport for a fourth consecutive season could help to balance out those losses. Smith typically only plays against right-handed pitching, so Lawlar could slide into the DH slot against lefties fairly seamlessly. The other four are all everyday players, but theoretically each could sit just once a week with Smith covering first base when Naylor is sitting so Lawlar can DH and Lawlar filling in around the rest of the infield.
An arrangement along those lines would likely keep veteran players like Suarez and Marte fresher, allow each of the club’s regulars to stay in the lineup as much as possible, and get Lawlar plenty of exposure to big league pitching as he works to establish himself at the big league level. Speculatively speaking, if Lawlar takes to the majors well, the D-backs could look into moving someone like Suarez (a pending free agent after this season) at the trade deadline to open up a more regular role for the youngster while bolstering a bullpen that has lost both A.J. Puk and Justin Martinez to the injured list. Injuries can always open up other avenues to at-bats.
For now the 21-20 Diamondbacks need to dig themselves out of fourth place in the NL West and put themselves ahead of teams like the Cardinals and Phillies in the NL Wild Card race. They’ll hope that Lawlar, still just 22, can provide a spark. He’s hit at an above-average clip at every level of the minors while showing off effective defense all around the infield. He’s also an excellent baserunner, having swiped 39 bags in 2022 and 36 the following year. This season, he’s already gone 13-for-14 on the bases in just 37 games. Lawlar is the sort of dynamic, all-around player who can help virtually any team, even one that already boasts a top-seven offense in the majors like the Diamondbacks.
It’s happeninnnnnng!
Congratulations!
Lots of talent on this team
How do they plan to fit lawlar in when ketel eugenio perdomo naylor pavin all doing well? He played 2b ss 3b this yr in minors… so they’re gonna bench eugenio and his 12 hrs? Or their #1 star ketel? Pavin sits vs lefties once a week, dont see how else lawlar sees consistent action. Better to have him start everyday in aaa . Eugenio’s a FA , lawlar will be full time starter 2026 gotta be a little more patient
It’s not better to ever have better talent in AAA than the majors. He will be instantly the second best player on the team behind Carroll. He should have been on the roster on opening day.
Pretty bold. He has to prove he can hit at the ML level. That’s great if he does second time around. A ton of hyped prospects show minor league pitchers who’s boss.
Instantly the second best player? How do you figure? Maybe upside, but he failed his first go around. The majors are a different animal than the minors
You sound like me, Soto. These prospects almost all spend too much time in the minors. What other sport does this?
Sports with less talent gap between draftees and top level pros. Look no farther the LAish Angels to see what happens when you refuse to let players develop… Lawlar has a total of 1200 plate appearances in the Minors across five seasons. Arizona threaded the needle of an oft-injured player. Most teams do this well.
Silly proclamation. Perdomo is one of the best players in the league right now.
Chandler- Did you happen to read the article? It answered most of your questions.
You think people read before commenting? Silly rabbit.
I have heard their initial plan is to play him 4 days a week, moving him around to different positions and then go from there.
Congrats
Red sox need to be taking notes..
Marcelo Mayer and Anthony Roman have entered the chat.
One issue and it’s making 300 mil. In the D-Backs plan their star players will move around and take days off as needed as well.
Dude has spent more time on the shelf than David Hasselhoff.
Trading proven players, who stay healthy, to get him playing time is a big risk
“More time on the shelf than David Hasselhoff” what does that mean? I get that you were likely just trying to copy Shooter’s comment from Hapoy Gilmore, but that was funny because it made sense. Unlike yours.
Well good for Sid Bream oh my God
Why not, it’s time, he is having a better year right now in Reno than DBack management even considered he would have. He has forced the DBack”s hand which is a good thing.
Now is where do they play him, do they do a Padre move ala Merrill in centerfield, they took a chance and played him in a position he never played before. and it has worked out pretty well.
Gurriel has really struggled this year in left.
One possible solution to this jigsaw puzzle is to bench Gurriel and put Marte in left. He has experience in the outfield, and while his time in center wasn’t great, left field isn’t as demanding, and you just live with what you get from his defense there. That opens up 2nd for Lawler.
You could just put Lawler in left, but given he hasn’t had success yet at the major league level, it might be a bit much to ask him to learn a new position while learning to hit in the majors. Marte is a veteran who is better equipped to handle the change.
It’s a thought but one minus for moving Marte back to the OF is his history of hamstring issues. They cannot afford him to be on the DL again; I could see him as a DH more offend then considering move him to the outfield.
I am seeing this move as a tryout for Lawler, they will give him at least 40 to 50 at bats to start if he seems not overwhelmed by ML pitching then they will play him more at least until the All- Star break reevaluate him again, and by then they will have enough information to decide at the trade deadline to decide by the standings and how Lawler is performing if they are buyers or sellers and make the stretch run for a spot in the playoffs. That is where I could see Suarez, Gallen, Kelly, Rodriguez, names being thrown around for possible deal especially if they are sellers.
YES
I see Grichuk as the person most likely to lose ABs as Marte, Suarez and Perdomo can all get some DH ABs vs LHP when Lawler plays 2B, 3B or SS. Lawler could get some ABs at DH vs LHP, as well. To a lesser extent, Smith could lose a few ABs as switch hitters Marte and Perdomo could DH vs RHP. Smith started the season red hot, and has been hitting better of late, but he needs to make some adjustments now that he’s seeing a steady diet of breaking balls. Perhaps Grichuk or Suarez will be part of a package to acquire a high leverage arm. Even with Martinez and Graveman returning this week, the Dbacks may need another arm with Puk out for a while.
I think Tawa and Hampson lose the most. Grichuk too, but he doesn’t really overlap anywhere but DH.
Good point. I should have been more clear. Either Tawa or Hampson are gone. I’m guessing Hampson stays and gets virtually no ABs and Tawa goes to Reno and plays everyday.
Makes the most sense.
He was abysmal in the World Series in 2023. Let’s see if he has grown during 2024.
About time.
Suarez is probably on his way out by the deadline because he’s been a lot worse than his stats tell because of the streaks
Perdomo could also go but they just signed him to an extension so they probably want to keep him
He’s underperforming his xwOBA a bit, but that OBP is brutal.
Perdomo is the team captain. He’s as close to untouchable as Carroll and Marte. Quite literally every player on the field in Sedona Red defers to him.
Sheesh, I don’t think I’ve ever read more unknowledgeable comments about Lawlar than I have in this thread.
Guessing Suarez is the odd man out if Lawlar hits the ground running.