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Zach Eflin Exits Start With Lower Back Tightness

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Orioles right-hander Zach Eflin left his start this afternoon after just one inning due to what Baltimore later announced as lower back tightness. After the game, manager Tony Mansolino spoke to reporters (including Jake Rill of MLB.com) and revealed that Eflin had actually felt the tightness during his pregame bullpen session, but that he thought he could pitch through it. As noted by Matt Weyrich of the Baltimore Sun, Eflin wanted to go back out for a second inning after surrendering four runs in the first on 28 pitches, but the team’s coaches pulled him from the game. Mansolino added that the club is not yet certain whether or not Eflin will require a trip to the injured list and that he could be sent for imaging to determine the severity of the injury.

Needless to say, it’s tough news for Baltimore. Eflin entered the season as the club’s de facto ace after the losses of Kyle Bradish to injury and Corbin Burnes to free agency. He found success early on with a 3.00 ERA in his first three starts, but missed over a month due to a lat strain. Since returning, he’s pitched to a 7.13 ERA in 44 innings including today’s abbreviated outing. Even ignoring today’s start, Eflin has posted figures north of 6.00 in both ERA and FIP since returning from the shelf. He’s also struck out just 17.6% of his opponents and surrendered 13 homers in just eight starts. His results have been so disastrous since his return from the shelf back in May that it’s fair to wonder if a stint on the injured list could be a necessary reset for the 31-year-old.

The Orioles fell to a disappointing 35-47 record with their loss today, but the front office has not yet committed to selling as they hold out hope for a hot streak that could put them back into the playoff conversation. Each loss makes that sort of run less and less likely to occur, however, and whether the Orioles end up winning enough games to stay in the race or sell off rental players at the deadline, a healthy and effective Eflin figures to be a big part of either of those plans. Chayce McDermott and Brandon Young are among the players who could be called upon to fill in for Eflin if he heads to the injured list.

Eflin looked like he could be one of the more attractive rental starters on the market this summer, but at this point it seems likely that Tomoyuki Sugano and his 4.06 ERA in 16 starts will be the most attractive rental arm in Baltimore’s rotation. Even 41-year-old veteran Charlie Morton may garner more interest than Eflin at this point, as he’s managed to turn things around after a brutal start with a 3.21 ERA over his past 12 appearances and a 2.90 ERA since returning to the rotation on May 26. On the other hand, it’s fair to note that Morton’s turnaround over the past month could certainly happen for Eflin in the run up to the deadline. That would likely require him to avoid the injured list, however, as even a minimum stint on the shelf at this point would leave him sidelined until after the All-Star break.

Mike Elias Discusses Deadline Plans, Tony Mansolino, Samuel Basallo

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While they entered the season viewed as a surefire contender, the Orioles are buried in the standings headed into the second half of the season. Their 35-46 record entering play today leaves them 11 games under .500 and seven games back of a playoff spot. They’d need to leapfrog seven teams in order to fight their way back into one of the AL’s three Wild Card spots, but that doesn’t mean that GM Mike Elias and his front office are entirely committed to selling. Elias spoke to reporters (including Roch Kubatko of MASN) about the team’s status headed into July, and revealed that he’s preparing as though either buying or selling this summer are on the table.

“People are making their preparations, they understand that we’re not committed to a path yet, but we’re doing preparation in both directions and have an understanding of where that might go,” Elias said, as relayed by Kubatko. “So we want to keep playing, keep giving this team that we think is very talented, but unfortunately has started off with a bad record, as much chance as we can. But we’re gonna have to ultimately make a decision at some point here in July.”

It sounds as though Baltimore is content to wait for at least a little while longer before committing to an approach for this trade season, though Elias did acknowledge that the Orioles will have to be “realistic” about the amount of time required to act upon their goals for the deadline before adding that it’s “not one or two days.” Whatever path they end up committing to, Elias made clear that ownership is willing to spend this deadline. That can take the form of adding salary in buy-side trades, or perhaps retaining salary on a sell-side trade to bring back a stronger return.

For a team in Baltimore’s situation, a willingness to retain salary can be a game changer in terms of the return they can expect for their players. The Orioles have a number of veterans with relatively hefty salaries who could be potential trade candidates this summer. Zach Eflin ($18MM), Charlie Morton ($15MM), and Tomoyuki Sugano ($13MM) all have salaries that could be difficult for some clubs with tight budgets to take on, while even players like Gary Sanchez ($8.5MM) and Ryan O’Hearn ($8MM) could be a problem for teams pressed up against the luxury tax threshold. Eating salary not only makes the player inherently more valuable to the buying club, but it can also allow teams without much money to spend to enter the bidding and expand the overall field of interest for the player.

None of that will matter if the Orioles decide not to sell, but it’s going to require a massive turn around for the Orioles to be realistic contenders for October. As of today, Fangraphs gives Baltimore just a 3.7% chance at making the postseason, and only the White Sox have a more daunting remaining schedule than the Orioles per the site’s strength of schedule metric. With series against the Rays, Rangers, Guardians, and Blue Jays teed up between now and the trade deadline, Baltimore will likely need to win the majority of those series if they’re going to create an argument to avoid selling.

Unlikely as that may seem, it’s hardly unusual for teams on the periphery of the race to hesitate when presented with the opportunity to blow things up. Despite entering the All-Star break with records around .500 last year, teams like the Pirates and Cubs opted to keep their teams largely intact and even do some buy-side trades that brought in controllable assets like Isiah Kiner-Falefa and Isaac Paredes. Perhaps there’s room for the Orioles to take a similar approach, and if that is an option on the table, ownership’s willingness to add salary would be a key factor in making those sorts of longer-term additions feasible. Sandy Alcantara is controlled for two seasons after 2025 and is widely considered one of the top players available this summer, but Edward Cabrera, Mitch Keller, Jarren Duran, and Bryan Reynolds are among a smattering of other players with multiple years of control remaining who could be moved this summer.

The trade deadline wasn’t the only thing Elias addressed in his comments to the media today, however. He offered praise for interim manager Tony Mansolino, who has led Batlimore to a 20-18 record since taking over for Brandon Hyde earlier this season. Elias applauded Mansolino’s performance, saying the 42-year-old is “handling it extremely well,” though he went on to suggest that he has not yet made plans regarding the club’s search for a permanent manager. It’s not clear whether that search will include Mansolino or not at this point, but Elias indicated that if he were to have discussions with his interim manager about staying in the role long-term, that conversation would come “a little later into the year.”

Something else Elias suggested Orioles fans could keep an eye out for later this year is the debut of top catching prospect Samuel Basallo. Elias acknowledged that he “hopes” to see Basallo in the majors this year, and while he added that his defense behind the plate needs work, he left the door open to some development at the big league level in that regard.

“Catching is the area that there’s still a lot of development left for him, and not all of that’s gonna be in the minors. But his bat is more ready than the catching and that tends to happen, and it’ll be developing in the majors, too,” Elias said, as relayed by Kubatko. “But I think the experience that he’s getting, catching in Triple-A right now, is still really, really valuable. The game-calling, the handling veteran pitchers.”

That’s a notable shift in tone from comments Mansolino made about the possibility of a Basallo call-up. The manager told reporters just last week that he hopes to see Basallo “knock the door down” to the majors after he “absolutely destroys Triple-A in all facets of the game.” Those comments seemed to suggest the Orioles wanted Basallo to do relatively minimal development at the big league level, but it’s possible that recent injuries to Adley Rutschman and Maverick Handley that left the Orioles with a tandem of Sanchez and Chadwick Tromp behind the plate could have changed Baltimore’s thought process regarding their top prospect.

Tigers Activate Matt Vierling From 10-Day IL, Option Trey Sweeney

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The Tigers announced that third baseman/outfielder Matt Vierling has been activated from the 10-day injured list.  Shortstop Trey Sweeney was optioned to Triple-A Toledo in the corresponding move, which took place after Detroit’s 4-1 loss to Minnesota last night.

Vierling’s 2025 season has basically been a wash, as he has played in only four games in between two lengthy stints on the IL.  He strained his right rotator cuff in February, which kept him on the shelf until May 23.  That return to the Tigers’ lineup was short-lived, as just five days later, Vierling was placed back on the 10-day IL due to right shoulder inflammation.  Fortunately, an MRI taken earlier this month didn’t reveal any structural damage in the shoulder, and Vierling was able to soon start a minor league rehab assignment that lasted seven games.

He is now in today’s lineup as the starting center fielder, and looking to start playing a larger role for a Tigers team that has the best record in the American League.  Now in his third season in Motown, Vierling hit .259/.320/.406 with 26 homers over 1097 plate appearances in 2023-24, toggling between third base and all three outfield positions.  Vierling’s right-handed bat is a nice complement to Detroit’s many lefty swingers, giving manager A.J. Hinch some extra flexibility in balancing out his lineup.

Sweeney’s move to Triple-A is notable, as his installation as the Tigers’ starting shortstop last August was one of the many factors that sparked Detroit’s stunning late-season surge into a playoff berth.  Acquired from the Dodgers as part of the Jack Flaherty trade at last year’s deadline, Sweeney didn’t hit much in his first taste of big league action, but strong defense helped solidify the shortstop position since the Tigers had gotten so little from Javier Baez, Zach McKinstry, and Ryan Kreidler.

This season, however, Baez has enjoyed a career resurgence and McKinstry has broken out in a multi-positional role.  Since Sweeney is still only hitting .221/.280/.314 over 225 PA and his glovework has fallen off, he’ll head to Toledo as the odd man out of the Tigers’ roster.  Baez and McKinstry figure to fully assume shortstop duties going forward, perhaps in a loose righty-lefty platoon depending on whether or not McKinstry is being utilized elsewhere on the diamond.

Brewers’ Garrett Mitchell To Undergo Shoulder Surgery

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TODAY: Mitchell will indeed undergo the shoulder surgery on Tuesday.  Speaking with McCalvy and other reporters today, Murphy reiterated that Mitchell should have a chance to return before the season is over, but a clearer timeline will be established once the surgery has taken place.

JUNE 24: Brewers outfielder Garrett Mitchell has been rehabbing an oblique strain that’s kept him on the injured list dating back to April, but he now appears to be facing a much larger absence due to a new injury. Manager Pat Murphy tells the Brewers beat that Mitchell suffered a shoulder injury during his rehab stint (link via MLB.com’s Adam McCalvy).

The initial diagnosis on Mitchell is that he’s dislodged some of the anchors that were installed in his left shoulder after he underwent surgery to address a subluxation back in April 2023. He’s been recommended for another surgery that would sideline him for an additional eight to ten weeks, but he’ll get a second opinion to confirm that prognosis before any action is taken. Regardless, he won’t be back with Milwaukee any time soon.

Mitchell, 26, was the Brewers’ first-round pick in 2020 and has dealt with myriad injuries throughout his pro career. He’s typically been productive when he’s been able to take the field, hitting .264/.343/.463 with 13 homers and 20 steals in 365 plate appearances from 2021-23. That strong output was buoyed by a whopping .389 average on balls in play and belied a concerning 34.2% strikeout rate, however, leading to some skepticism of Mitchell’s ability to sustain that production. His bat indeed regressed this season prior to injury, as Mitchell hit just .206/.286/.294 with no home runs in 78 plate appearances.

The Brewers have been going with Isaac Collins, Jackson Chourio and Sal Frelick across the outfield on most nights. Collins, selected from the Rockies in the minor league phase of the 2022 Rule 5 Draft, has been an unexpected godsend. He’s come up and played 60 games (172 plate appearances) and turned in a .260/.363/.404 slash with four homers and eight steals while taking near-regular reps in left field. Chourio has taken up the mantle in center field, with Frelick playing a plus right field. Chourio has held his own but doesn’t grade nearly as well defensively as Mitchell.

A return for Mitchell could’ve freed Collins to play more in the infield; he has experience at second base in particular but has some briefer forays into the left side of the diamond, which has been an ongoing issue for Milwaukee all season. Instead, it seems likely that Mitchell will now be sidelined into mid-August or perhaps even early September, depending on the outcome of his second opinion with Dr. Neal ElAttrache (and, presumably, the progress of his rehab from the forthcoming procedure).

Mitchell has still only played in 141 major league games, but he’ll cross three years of service time this season while on the 60-day injured list. That’ll put him in position to reach arbitration for the first time in the coming offseason. His lack of time on the field will keep his first-year salary fairly light, and he’s still controlled three more years beyond the current season, so this setback — frustrating as it is for all parties — shouldn’t put Mitchell at any risk of a non-tender.

Mariners Designate Zach Pop, Select Juan Burgos

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The Mariners announced that right-hander Zach Pop has been designated for assignment.  Juan Burgos’ contract has been selected from Triple-A in the corresponding move, and Burgos will be making his Major League debut whenever he appears in his first game.

Pop was signed to a minors contract in April, and he was selected to Seattle’s active roster just over two weeks ago.  The brief audition hasn’t gone well, as Pop has allowed three homers over just 5 1/3 innings pitched, resulting in a 13.50 ERA to show for his four appearances in a Mariners uniform.  Most of the damage came on Thursday, when Pop was charged with eight runs (seven earned) during a disastrous inning of work in the Twins’ 10-1 win over the Mariners.

That rough outing might close the book on Pop’s time in the Pacific Northwest.  He is out of minor league options, so the M’s had to designate him for assignment and expose the righty to waivers before attempting to move him to Triple-A and off the 40-man roster.

Another club could put in a claim, perhaps figuring that Pop was still a little rusty after dealing with some elbow inflammation near the end of his Spring Training stint with the Blue Jays.  That said, Pop has a 6.42 ERA in 67 1/3 MLB innings with Toronto and Seattle since the start of the 2023 season, as the excellent numbers the grounder specialist posted in 2022 fade further into memory. Opposing batters have gone yard 16 times on Pop in those 67 1/3 frames, translating to a 27.6% home run rate.

The 25-year-old Burgos was an international signing for the Mariners in 2019, and he has booked his ticket to the majors due to a sterling 0.62 ERA over 29 innings at the Double-A and Triple-A levels.  Much of that work has come at Double-A, as Burgos was only just promoted to Tacoma earlier this week, and he made all of one appearance with the Rainiers before getting the call to the majors.

A .129 BABIP has contributed heavily to Burgos’ tiny ERA, but his 27.8% strikeout rate and 6.5% walk rate have been impressive.  The latter stat is notable since Burgos had some big control problems early in his career, yet his walk rates have steadily improved over time.  Burgos relies heavily (44.4% of the time this season) on his cutter, and his slider has averaged 95.9mph in 2025.  Even if he is up primarily as a fresh arm for Seattle’s pen this weekend, Burgos should get to officially mint himself as a big leaguer and get a chance to show what he can do for the Mariners’ coaching staff.

Red Sox Reinstate Chris Murphy, Place Luis Guerrero On 15-Day IL

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The Red Sox announced that left-hander Chris Murphy has been reinstated from the 60-day injured list, as Murphy is ready to return to action after undergoing Tommy John surgery in April 2024.  In corresponding moves, Boston placed right-hander Luis Guerrero on the 15-day IL due to a right elbow sprain, and righty Justin Slaten was shifted from the 15-day IL to the 60-day.

Murphy hasn’t pitched in a big league game since September 2023, and his total MLB resume consists of only 20 appearances and 47 2/3 innings during his 2023 rookie campaign.  The southpaw’s 3.88 SIERA was over a run lower than his 4.91 ERA, as Murphy’s 23.1% strikeout rate and 8% walk rate were both solid, and he didn’t have great batted-ball luck in the form of a .321 BABIP.

With his recovery period now complete, Murphy will get another crack at the bigs and give the Sox another left-handed relief option.  Aroldis Chapman has taken over closing duties, and the Sox have been using Justin Wilson and Brennan Bernardino in lefty depth roles.  Murphy figures to get plenty of opportunity in providing innings and a fresh arm within a pen that has performed respectably well in covering for a rotation that largely struggled.

Friday’s 9-0 loss to the Blue Jays wasn’t a banner night for Boston’s pen, as Bernardino was charged with four runs over an inning of work, and Guerrero allowed two runs in just a third of an inning.  Guerrero’s elbow strain developed in the aftermath of yesterday’s outing, and MassLive.com’s Christopher Smith writes that for now, the injury isn’t considered serious enough to merit an MRI for further examination.

Guerrero got his big league career off to a very nice start when he tossed 10 scoreless innings over nine relief appearances in 2024, and it wasn’t until his fourth outing of 2025 that the righty finally surrendered his first earned run.  Things have been shakier since, as Guerrero has a 4.15 ERA over his 17 1/3 frames and has more walks (14) than strikeouts (10).  A tiny .188 BABIP has helped Guerrero manage okay bottom-line results despite those rough peripherals, but the larger concern for the moment is his elbow health.

Shoulder inflammation has kept Slaten out of action since late May, and his IL stint will now stretch until at least the end of July.  The move to the 60-day IL isn’t really a surprise since Slaten only started throwing this weekend, so he’ll need some time to properly ramp up before returning to the relief corps.  Speaking of minuscule BABIPs, Slaten’s .188 mark is the chief reason behind his 3.47 ERA in 23 1/3 innings this season, but the hard-throwing right-hander has also done an excellent job of limiting hard contact.

Diamondbacks Designate Tayler Scott, Select John Curtiss

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The Diamondbacks announced that right-hander Tayler Scott has been designated for assignment.  Fellow righty John Curtiss will take Scott’s place on the active roster, as Arizona selected Curtiss’ contract from Triple-A.

This is the second time in a month and a half that Scott has entered DFA limbo, as his previous designation from the Astros led to Scott electing free agency (he had the right to reject an outright assignment) and then signing a minor league deal with Arizona.  The Snakes selected that minors contract to their active roster on June 10, but Scott’s struggles in Houston have continued with his new team.

Scott has an ominous 6.66 ERA over 25 2/3 total innings this season, breaking down as a 5.40 ERA in 16 2/3 frames with Houston and a 9.00 ERA in nine innings for Arizona.  That brief time with the D’Backs has already included three home runs allowed and four walks, adding to the control problems that have nagged at Scott throughout his five MLB seasons.

Scott somewhat came out of nowhere to post a 2.23 ERA in 68 2/3 innings with the Astros last season, as it seemed like he had finally found a foothold in the majors at age 32 after a journeyman career that includes stints in Japan and independent baseball.  Unfortunately, his lack of results this year may be sending him on another transactional carousel.  Because Scott has been outrighted in the past, he can again decline an outright assignment in favor of free agency if he clears waivers.

Curtiss signed a minors deal with the D’Backs in February, and he is now in line for his first big league action of the 2025 campaign.  Once Curtiss gets into a game, it will mark his eighth MLB season, and Arizona will be his eighth different team of a peripatetic career.  Curtiss has a 4.06 ERA, 22.7% strikeout rate, and 7% walk rate over 108 2/3 career innings, and his most recent action in the Show was three appearances (and a 15.43 ERA in 2 1/3 innings) with the Rockies in 2024.

Rays Designate Forrest Whitley, Promote Joe Rock

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The Rays announced that right-hander Forrest Whitley has been designated for assignment.  Replacing Whitley on the active roster is left-hander Joe Rock, who has been called up from Triple-A Durham to make his first appearance on a big league roster.

It was just over two weeks ago that Tampa Bay acquired Whitley in a trade with Houston, after the Astros also DFA’d the right-hander.  The move marked the end of Whitley’s nearly nine-year run in the Astros organization, as the 17th overall pick of the 2016 draft dealt with a bunch of injuries and a 50-game PED suspension (in 2018) over the course of what had been a star-crossed career.  Whitley didn’t make his MLB debut until 2024 when he made three appearances for Houston, and the Astros opted to finally move on after the righty posted a 12.27 ERA over 7 1/3 innings this season.

Things haven’t gone much better for Whitley since the trade, as he has a 15.43 ERA in 4 2/3 innings over five appearances with the Rays.  All of the damage came in the final two of those appearances — Whitley didn’t retire any of six batters faced and was charged with all six runs in a disastrous outing on June 22, and he was tagged for four runs (two earned) in an inning of work in yesterday’s 22-8 Rays loss to the Orioles.

As you might expect from such a football-esque score, the Rays ran through a lot of their bullpen last night, so Rock represents a fresh arm for the relief corps.  Whitley is out of minor league options, so the Rays had to first go the DFA route before Whitley can be moved to Triple-A and off the 40-man roster.  Tampa Bay could work out another trade to send Whitley elsewhere during the DFA period, or an interested team could simply claim him away on waivers.

Whitley’s prospect pedigree is such that another club might well pick him, though his out-of-options status complicates matters.  It could be that Whitley might be in for a string of claims/trades and designations, unless he shows enough immediate results to get himself a longer look in a team’s bullpen.  In the small sample of his time with the Rays, he threw his cutter far more often (51% of the time) than he did during his previous MLB stints with the Astros, though that attempted fix didn’t last long.

Rock will be making his Major League debut whenever he officially appears in a game.  The southpaw has a notable draft position in his own right, as the Rockies selected 68th overall of the 2021 draft.  Tampa acquired Rock in a trade in March 2024, and added him to its 40-man roster last November in advance of the Rule 5 Draft.  After posting a 4.58 ERA in 137 2/3 Triple-A innings last year, Rock has pretty similar numbers in Durham this season, delivering a 4.81 ERA along with a 19.8% strikeout rate and 9.4% walk rate that are each steps backwards from his metrics in 2024.

Rock has worked primarily as a starter during his minor league career, but could be viewed as an innings-eating long reliever in the Show.  MLB Pipeline (which rates Rock as the 21st-best prospect in Tampa Bay’s farm system) suggests that relief work might be in Rock’s future, as his 55-grade slider and fastball could be an effective one-two punch coming out of the pen.

Orioles Select Emmanuel Rivera, Designate Kyle Tyler

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The Orioles announced a trio of roster moves, including the selection of Emmanuel Rivera’s contract from Triple-A Norfolk.  To make room on the 26-man and 40-man rosters, outfielder Dylan Carlson was optioned to Triple-A, and right-hander Kyle Tyler was designated for assignment.

Rivera’s arrival seems like a direct response to Jordan Westburg’s finger injury, which forced him to make an early exit from yesterday’s game.  Westburg jammed his left index finger during a stolen base attempt last weekend and missed three games in recovery, though his attempt to return to action was short-lived.  Interim manager Tony Mansolino told reporters (including the Baltimore Sun’s Jacob Calvin Meyer) that Westburg may again miss a “couple of days” but the injured list isn’t a consideration.

If Westburg is able to return in short order, Rivera will at least get to celebrate his birthday with his Orioles teammates, as the infielder turns 29 tomorrow.  Rivera is no stranger to roster shuffles, as he is out of minor league options and has been designated for assignment four times since the start of the 2024 season — once apiece by the Diamondbacks and Marlins in 2024, and twice this year by the Orioles.  The first two of those DFAs saw Rivera change teams via trade and then claim, whereas this year, the O’s have twice outrighted Rivera to Triple-A after he cleared waivers.

Rivera has hit .232/.303/.275 over 76 plate appearances with Baltimore this season, which is a step back even from his modest .243/.306/.363 career slash line in 1118 PA and 365 MLB games.  Rivera has primarily played third base over his five big league seasons, so he can provide some depth at the hot corner while Westburg is sidelined.

Tyler is another veteran of the DFA process, as a whirlwind stretch of transactions in March-April 2022 saw Tyler join four different teams on waiver claims.  The Phillies also claimed Tyler away from the Marlins in August 2024, and the Orioles claimed him from Philadelphia less than two weeks ago after the right-hander was designated yet again.

Tyler has a 4.31 ERA over 48 career innings in the majors but he has yet to see any big league work this year.  With a 4.19 ERA over 66 2/3 combined innings with the Phillies’ and Orioles’ Triple-A affiliates, Tyler might well find himself on the move again to another team in need of some rotation or long relief depth.

Jordan Lawlar To Miss “Weeks” With Hamstring Strain

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The Triple-A Reno Aces placed Jordan Lawlar on their seven-day injured list on Thursday, and the infield prospect is facing another extended stint on the sidelines.  Diamondbacks manager Torey Lovullo told reporters (including Alex Wiener of Arizona Sports) that Lawlar is expected to miss “weeks” recovering from a Grade 1 hamstring strain.  For a more specific timeline, Sports Illustrated’s Jack Sommers heard from an unnamed D’Backs official that Lawlar will be out for at minimum one month.

Selected sixth overall by the D’Backs in the 2021 draft, Lawlar has had cups of coffee in the majors in both the 2023 and 2025 seasons, with only an .080/.179/.080 slash line to show from a sample size of 56 plate appearances against MLB pitching.  This includes an 0-for-19 stretch over 22 PA this season, as the Diamondbacks made the somewhat curious decision to promote Lawlar despite not really having a regular spot for him in the lineup.  Lawlar’s struggles made the situation somewhat moot, as he was optioned back to Triple-A at the end of May.

The nature of the injury is a little ominous, given that hamstring problems cost Lawlar a huge chunk of the 2024 season.  Between a thumb surgery that delayed his 2024 debut in Reno until late May, and then both an initial Grade 1 strain and then a re-aggravation of that same hamstring, Lawlar ended up playing in only 23 total games across three of Arizona’s minor league levels.  A Grade 1 strain is the least-serious level of injury, yet with last season certainly still lingering, the D’Backs figure to be particularly cautious with Lawlar’s recovery this time around.

Lawlar has been obliterating Triple-A pitching when healthy, and he is now hitting .334/.420/.590 in 388 plate appearances over parts of three seasons with Reno.  There seems to be little left for the 22-year-old to prove in the minors, though the rather extreme nature of his early struggles in the majors suggests some more seasoning is required.  That said, Lawlar would’ve surely gotten an extended look in the big leagues at this point if he played for a team with a less-productive mix of position players.  The Diamondbacks have been arguably baseball’s best offensive team over the last two seasons, particularly in the infield.

Losing Lawlar through at least July robs the D’Backs of their chief candidate for a call-up in the event of an infield injury.  (Perhaps in a case of “when it rains, it pours,” first baseman Josh Naylor left yesterday’s game with neck tightness and is expected to sit out this weekend’s action.)  Lawlar’s health could also impact any potential ideas Arizona had about moving third baseman Eugenio Suarez at the trade deadline, should the 41-40 Diamondbacks fall out of the race.  Suarez is a free agent after the season and is therefore a natural candidate to be moved in the event of a sell-off, and dealing Suarez would’ve naturally opened up third base.  It is entirely possible that the D’Backs plan to have Lawlar as their regular third baseman in 2026 if Suarez headed elsewhere in free agency, though a Suarez deadline trade would give Lawlar some steady playing time in the Show.

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