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Jordan Lawlar

D-backs Notes: Lawlar, Burnes, Bullpen, Santana

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The Diamondbacks’ acquisition of future Hall of Famer Nolan Arenado (alongside their decision not to trade Ketel Marte) pushed longtime top prospect Jordan Lawlar out of the club’s infield mix, at least on paper. That’s led to some questions about his role moving forward, but manager Torey Lovullo revealed to reporters (including Alex Weiner of AZ Sports) yesterday where the team hopes to play Lawlar going forward: center field. That would displace incumbent center fielder Alek Thomas, who Lovullo suggested would move around the outfield amid injuries to Lourdes Gurriel Jr. and Corbin Carroll.

Of course, that plan to play Lawlar in center field is predicated on him proving himself capable of handling the position this spring. He played three games in center during the Dominican Winter League this offseason, but otherwise has spent his entire professional career on the dirt. His 98th percentile sprint speed in 2025 certainly suggests he has the wheels to handle the position, offering plenty of reason for optimism, but that lack of experience calls into question how effectively he’ll be able to pick up the position on the fly. It wouldn’t be the first time a team converted an infield prospect to center over the course of one Spring Training, as the division rival Padres managed to do just that with Jackson Merrill two years ago. Merrill turned in one of the best defensive seasons in the entire sport as a rookie, and should offer some optimism about Lawlar’s ability to follow suit.

Perhaps the biggest question for Lawlar isn’t whether he’s physically capable of handling center field, but whether he’s capable of staying on the field long enough to prove it. Between Triple-A and the majors, Lawlar has just 113 games played over the past two seasons due to a variety of injuries. Last season, he missed multiple months with a hamstring strain, while a thumb injury cost him most of 2024. In between those injuries, he’s struggled in brief cameos at the big league level but has managed to continue raking at Triple-A, offering some reason for optimism that he’ll figure things out offensively if given consistent playing time. He’ll now get that playing time at the expense of Thomas, who was once a former top propsect himself but has never quite managed to hit well in the majors with a career 74 wRC+ that peaked at 81 last season. Thomas figures to join Jorge Barrosa, Tim Tawa, and perhaps non-roster invitees like Ildemaro Vargas and Ryan Waldschmidt in mixing and matching in the corners while Carroll and Gurriel are out of commission.

Turning to the pitching staff, ace right-hander Corbin Burnes missed much of his first season in Arizona due to Tommy John surgery but figures to contribute after completing his rehab at some point this year. Burnes himself spoke to reporters (video link via MLB.com) about his timeline for return yesterday, and suggested that he’s expecting to return around the All-Star break. Burnes added that he plans to “try and make it [back] sooner,” though considering he went under the knife in June that could be a tall ask given the procedure’s typical recovery timeline. Adding Burnes back to the rotation would obviously be a massive boost. The former Cy Young award winner had a 2.66 ERA in 11 starts last year (albeit with less impressive peripherals) and placed in the top ten in Cy Young voting in each of the past five seasons prior to his injured 2025 campaign.

Burnes will be working towards a return alongside the team’s two highest leverage relievers, Justin Martinez and A.J. Puk. It appears his projected timeline falls in the middle of the two relief arms, as described by the players themselves in comments made to AZ Sports. Martinez suggested that he’s anticipating a return in August of this year, though he acknowledged it “could be earlier, could be later” depending on how things go from here. He underwent Tommy John surgery in June, like Burnes did. Puk also went under the knife in June, but he underwent a less-invasive internal brace procedure. The southpaw told reporters he hopes to be back by the end of May, but acknowledged that isn’t necessarily realistic. Still, he expressed confidence that he’ll be back on the mound before the second half, which indicates he could be looking at a return to action at some point in June.

Adding Puk and Martinez back to the relief staff could be majorly impactful for the Diamondbacks given their difficulties in finding high leverage relief help this year. The team figures to run back more or less the same group of relievers they finished last year with, as non-roster invitee Jonathan Loaisiga figures to be the most impactful reliever added to the roster during the offseason. Loaisiga has struggled to stay healthy over the years, and while he has a career 3.54 ERA at the big league level he struggled last year with middling results and worrisome peripherals (including a 5.83 FIP) in 30 appearances for the Yankees.

While Burnes, Puk, and Martinez all figure to spend Spring Training rehabbing their injured elbows, first baseman Carlos Santana figures to be preparing for the World Baseball Classic. Santana was one of many players who was unable to secure insurance to play in the World Baseball Classic, but Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic reports that the Diamondbacks decided to give Santana the green light to play in the tournament uninsured. He’ll represent the Dominican Republic alongside teammate Ketel Marte and Geraldo Perdomo, and Hazen indicated that giving Santana the opportunity to bond with his new teammates over the shared experience of representing their home country was a factor in the team’s decision to assume the financial risk of the soon to be 40-year-old veteran getting injured. Santana is slated to make $2MM this year on his one-year deal with Arizona, and Rosenthal notes that, according to club GM Mike Hazen, Santana’s ability to be a clubhouse leader and guide other players on the team was a big part of why he was signed.

D-backs Notes: Lawlar, Bullpen, Bench

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The D-backs have already been getting top prospect Jordan Lawlar some reps in center field, and general manager Mike Hazen confirmed to D-backs host Jody Jackson that Lawlar will see the bulk of his playing time in the outfield rather than on the infield in 2026.

Lawlar, drafted as a shortstop, was pushed to third base early in his big league tenure after Geraldo Perdomo’s breakout at shortstop. Defensive metrics and a glut of errors quickly made clear that he wasn’t going to be a quality option at the hot corner, and the team seemingly acknowledged that with last month’s acquisition of Nolan Arenado. With Arenado at third base, Perdomo at shortstop and star Ketel Marte entrenched at second base, Arizona’s infield doesn’t look to have much room for the former No. 6 overall pick.

The outfield, however, provides more opportunity. Corbin Carroll is locked into right field, but the other spots are largely up for grabs. Alek Thomas is a solid defender in center but hasn’t hit at all in parts of four major league seasons. Jake McCarthy was traded to the Rockies earlier this winter. Pavin Smith has some outfield experience but will probably see the lion’s share of time at first base with switch-hitting veteran Carlos Santana providing a righty complement to Smith’s left-handed bat. Yesterday’s trade of Blaze Alexander to the Orioles removed another occasional option from the equation; Alexander played seven games in the outfield last season.

Lawlar has only taken 108 plate appearances in the majors, and he’s posted a bleak .165/.241/.237 slash in that time while striking out at a dismal 34.3% clip. However, he’s still just 23 years old (24 in July) and has absolutely torched Triple-A pitching in parts of three seasons: .328/.414/.576 with 18 homers, 25 doubles, seven triples, 24 steals, an 11.9% walk rate and a 22.6% strikeout rate. Based on that production alone, the D-backs are going to do their best to find a spot in the lineup for his bat.

The trade of Alexander opens a clearer path for Lawlar to get at-bats in the outfield, and it also helped fortify Arizona’s bullpen. The Diamondbacks picked up righty Kade Strowd in that deal, who posted a 1.71 ERA in his first 26 1/3 innings of big league work in 2025. The 28-year-old’s 22.9% strikeout rate and 12.4% walk rate don’t support that level of run prevention, but Hazen told reporters after the trade that the D-backs felt Strowd took a step forward late in the year and is someone who’ll “compete in the bullpen for us right away” in 2026 (link via Steve Gilbert of MLB.com).

Strowd indeed seemed to find another gear in the season’s final month. He walked 11 of the first 71 batters he faced in 2025, but over his final nine innings he issued only two free passes to 34 hitters while punching out 15 (44.1%). His swinging-strike rate in that time nearly doubled, from 8.9% to 16.2%. It’s always dangerous to read too much into small samples, but in this instance, that drastic shift coincided with a huge uptick in Strowd’s four-seam fastball usage and a significant downturn in his curveball and sinker usage. Time will tell whether he can sustain those gains in a larger sample, but it’s a understandable that Hazen & Co. are intrigued to see what he can do with more four-seamers, cutters and sliders with fewer sinkers and hooks.

Gilbert notes that the D-backs are still on the lookout for more pitching help, which is only natural — particularly in the bullpen. Arizona has added Strowd and signed Taylor Clarke and Jonathan Loaisiga as free agents (the latter on a minor league deal), but that won’t be enough to make up for the losses of Justin Martinez and A.J. Puk, who’ll open the season on the injured list after undergoing elbow surgery last summer.

The D-backs, Gilbert adds, are also poking around for bench help in the outfield and the infield. Losing Alexander subtracted from that mix, of course, though they acquired six years of Strowd (and a pair of prospects) to offset that loss. At present, backup catcher James McCann is the only true lock for the bench. Infielder/outfielder Tim Tawa offers versatility but didn’t hit at all in his first taste of the majors last year (.201/.274/.347, 225 plate appearances). Switch-hitting outfielder Jorge Barrosa is out of minor league options but is a .148/.170/.239 hitter in 95 MLB plate appearances.

The Diamondbacks’ 40-man roster is extremely pitcher-heavy, with catcher Adrian Del Castillo and 22-year-old infielder Jose Fernandez (who hasn’t played above Double-A) standing as the only other position players on the 40-man roster. It’s only natural that the Snakes will look for some insurance around the infield and outfield, given the thin depth they have at present.

Diamondbacks Interested In Pete Fairbanks

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Diamondbacks general manager Mike Hazen has admitted that upgrading the bullpen is a priority this offseason. One specific name on their list of targets is Pete Fairbanks, as Nick Piecoro of the Arizona Republic reports that the Snakes have engaged in discussions with the right-hander.

The relief market has been the hottest section of the offseason so far and Fairbanks has been a popular part of it. Devin Williams, Ryan Helsley, Phil Maton, Raisel Iglesias, Emilio Pagán and other relievers have already come off the board. Fairbanks is still out there but he has been connected to the Blue Jays, Dodgers, Marlins and Tigers, with the Diamondbacks now added to the list. Presumably, there are several other clubs on that list who have not been publicly named.

There are likely varying opinions on what Fairbanks can provide going forward. A few years ago, his results were elite but he was often injury prone. More recently, he has been healthier but less dominant. From 2020 to 2023, he posted a 2.66 earned run average. His 10.1% walk rate was a bit high but he struck out 34.8% of batters faced and got grounders on 46.9% of balls in play.

Over the past two seasons, he has still posted a strong 3.15 ERA and his walk rate improved to 8.2%. His 60 1/3 innings pitched in 2025 were a career high by 15 frames. However, he only punched out 24% of batters faced over the 2024 and 2025 seasons. That’s slightly above average but a big drop from his previous campaigns. He averaged 97.3 miles per hour on his fastball in each of the past two seasons. That’s still good zip but he averaged 99 mph in 2022.

Fairbanks is clearly still capable of good results but he’s about to turn 32 years old and there’s enough uncertainty to have impacted his market. The Rays could have retained him for 2026 via an $11MM club option but they instead opted for the $1MM buyout, sending him to free agency. Presumably, the Rays tried trading Fairbanks before making that call. Perhaps there were some teams willing to pay Fairbanks at that price but Tampa couldn’t find one willing to both pick up the option and also give them a meaningful trade return.

Now that Fairbanks is a free agent, he will cost only cash and has plenty of suitors. The Diamondbacks are a sensible one. Their bullpen fell apart in 2025. A.J. Puk and Justin Martínez were supposed to be the top two guys in the relief corps. Both required UCL surgery in the summer and other arms hit the injured list as well. Arizona relievers finished the year with a collective 4.82 ERA. The Nationals, Rockies and Angels were the only three big league teams who finished worse in that department.

Puk and Martínez could perhaps return in the summer of 2026 but the bullpen is clearly a weak spot for now. Fairbanks is presumably just one of many relievers the Snakes are pursuing. What’s unclear is how much spending capacity the club has.

Owner Ken Kendrick has said the payroll might drop a bit relative to 2025, but Hazen has downplayed how much that will impact his ability to build out the roster. RosterResource currently projects their 2026 payroll about $40MM shy of 2025. It’s unclear where they plan to end up, as they try to address needs in the rotation, bullpen and position player group.

Instead of free agency, they could try to deal with those needs via the trade market. Piecoro notes that the Snakes are open to trading young position players and/or prospects, including Jordan Lawlar.

Lawlar is an interesting case as he has been and still is one of the top prospects in the league. Teams normally cling tightly to those players but there are some signs suggesting the Snakes and Lawlar may be a special case. As a prospect, he has destroyed minor league pitching but hasn’t been able to carve out a big league role in Arizona. He climbed the minor league ladder as a shortstop but the Diamondbacks have Geraldo Perdomo locked in there and Ketel Marte at second. Until recently, third base was also blocked by the presence of Eugenio Suárez.

Lawlar hit so much in Triple-A to start 2025, slashing .336/.413/.579 in 37 games, that the Diamondbacks called him up anyway. But they didn’t find much playing time for him and optioned him back down a few weeks later. He then suffered a hamstring strain in June which sidelined him for weeks. Arizona traded Suárez to Seattle at the deadline but Lawlar was still recovering at that time.

He was eventually healthy enough to be recalled at the end of August, which could have finally been the big league runway he needed, but it didn’t play out as hoped. He committed several throwing errors from third base in the first half of September. In the latter half of the month, the club mostly used him as a pinch-hitter and designated hitter. It was reported about a month ago that the Diamondbacks would have him take center field reps in winter ball. Playing for Tigres del Licey in the Dominican Republic, he has logged 58 innings at short, 27 in center and nine at third while slashing .167/.217/.214 over 12 games.

Put it all together and it’s possible that the Snakes don’t have as tight a grip on Lawlar as maybe some other clubs would with a top prospect. He is still just 23 years old and could still be a star but he might make more sense for a rebuilding club who can afford to be patient with him and his defensive uncertainty. Since the Snakes have a number of needs on the roster and a bit of a payroll squeeze, perhaps they could use Lawlar in a trade to bring back some affordable big leaguers.

Being willing to make a trade doesn’t mean it’s going to happen or is even likely. With the Marte situation, Hazen has been clear that it’s his job to listen to offers but that doesn’t mean he’s likely to move his star second baseman. The situation with Lawlar is surely similar but he will be an interesting name to watch in the coming weeks and months as there are undoubtedly teams who would love to take a chance on him.

Photo courtesy of Vincent Carchietta, Imagn Images

Jordan Lawlar Taking Center Field Reps In Winter Ball

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Diamondbacks rookie Jordan Lawlar is playing winter ball in the Dominican Republic this offseason. He made his first appearance with the Tigres del Licey at an unfamiliar position: center field. It’s the first professional outfield experience for Lawlar, whose minor league and MLB work has been divided between second, third and shortstop.

Steve Gilbert of MLB.com wrote earlier this month that the D-Backs wanted Lawlar to get center field work alongside his usual infield responsibilities. The Diamondbacks haven’t made any decisions about a position change, but it behooves them to get a look at him in the outfield for a few reasons.

Lawlar’s defense was a significant issue late this year. The Diamondbacks finally opened everyday playing time for him at third base with the Eugenio Suárez deadline deal. Lawlar was on the minor league injured list for a couple weeks but was recalled at the end of August. His third base audition didn’t last long. Lawlar committed four errors in 76 innings, two apiece on September 7 and 14. Three of those were of the throwing variety. One of Lawlar’s errant throws led to a collision at first base that injured Tyler Locklear, who required surgeries on both his shoulder and elbow.

Scouting reports on Lawlar have generally praised his defensive ability. He was drafted as a shortstop and only moved to third base in deference to Geraldo Perdomo. It’s possible this year’s issues were a blip that’ll be corrected with a mechanical tweak or simply an offseason mental reset. The D-Backs didn’t want him in the field while they were chasing down a Wild Card berth, though. Manager Torey Lovullo kept Lawlar at DH or as a pinch-hitter after his game on September 14. Blaze Alexander played third base until the last game of the season — once the Snakes had been eliminated from contention.

The third base job should be open going into 2026. Alexander is a steady defender but doesn’t have huge upside at the plate. He’s better suited for a utility role. Lawlar, a career .298/.395/.515 hitter in the minors, has a higher ceiling. That wouldn’t matter much if the Diamondbacks don’t trust him defensively. They’re not going to lock him into full-time DH work at 23, but they probably wouldn’t feel great about handing him the starting third base job out of camp. He does still have an option remaining, yet they’re not going to learn much by sending him back to Triple-A Reno and letting him feast on Pacific Coast League pitching for another season.

John Gambadoro of Arizona Sports 98.7 FM writes that the D-Backs aren’t inclined to play Lawlar at second base. Ketel Marte might benefit from a few more DH at-bats but remains the primary second baseman. The two outfield spots to the left of Corbin Carroll could be up for grabs.

Center fielder Alek Thomas is a .234/.277/.362 hitter in almost 1400 career plate appearances. The Diamondbacks will eventually need some kind of offense from that spot. Left field is in worse shape. Lourdes Gurriel Jr. tore his ACL in September. Jake McCarthy is coming off a .204/.247/.345 season. Prospect Ryan Waldschmidt may already be their best internal option, and he hasn’t played a game above Double-A.

McCarthy could be non-tendered, while Thomas is a potential change-of-scenery candidate. If Lawlar takes to center field in winter ball, that could allow the Diamondbacks to feel a little more comfortable entertaining Thomas trade talks. Lawlar himself could also be a trade chip, as he’d be their best bet at getting a controllable starting pitcher in return. The Diamondbacks are going to need at least one outfielder via free agency or trade either way, making this an interesting offseason storyline in the desert.

Diamondbacks Recall Jordan Lawlar

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The Diamondbacks announced that they have recalled infielder Jordan Lawlar and left-hander Brandyn Garcia. First baseman Pavin Smith has been placed on the 10-day injured list, retroactive to August 28th, due to a strained left squad. Right-hander Taylor Rashi has been optioned to Triple-A Reno in the other corresponding move.

Lawlar, now 23, has been one of the top prospects in baseball for a while now. He forced his way up to the majors late in 2023, just after his 21st birthday. However, he didn’t immediately hit the ground running, producing a .129/.206/.129 line in is first 34 plate appearances. The Snakes were in contention then and weren’t in a position to just throw him out there as an experiment.

Going into 2024, the Diamondbacks weren’t quite ready to just hand him a big league job, given his youth and those numbers. They already had Geraldo Perdomo and Ketel Marte at the middle infield spots. They could have tried Lawlar at third base but instead acquired Eugenio Suárez from the Mariners. At the time, he had one guaranteed year remaining on his contract.

Lawlar could have forced his way into taking the job from Suárez, especially when Geno struggled badly early in 2024. However, Lawlar required thumb surgery in March and was out of action for several months. Then a hamstring injury cost him more time. He would only play 23 minor league games that year. Meanwhile, Suárez had such a strong surge in the second half that the Snakes picked up his $15MM option for 2025.

That left Lawlar fairly blocked for big league playing time this year. He did his best to unblock things, as he slashed .336/.413/.579 in Triple-A through mid-May and basically forced the Snakes to call him up. They believed that they could spread the playing time around but it didn’t really work out. He was recalled on May 12th but optioned back down on May 29th. In that stretch of barely over two weeks, he got into eight games and received 22 plate appearances. He didn’t take to the sporadic playing time, not recording a hit in that span.

The Diamondbacks fell out of contention and sold at the deadline, which included sending Suárez back to the Mariners. Ideally, Lawlar would have come up to take over at the hot corner but he had suffered a hamstring strain in late June. He got back on the field a couple of weeks back. After ten Triple-A games to get back in shape, he’s now coming up.

The Snakes can now use the final month of the season to finally give Lawlar some regular big league playing time and see how he handles it. His performance could then impact their offseason moves. He will still have one option season after this one, so they don’t have to give him the job in 2026. However, he doesn’t have much left to prove in the minors, so it’s probably time to let him sink or swim in the show.

That’s perhaps especially true given the club’s other priorities. Arizona traded away impending free agent Merrill Kelly at the deadline. Zac Gallen is still on the club for now but is an impending free agent himself. Corbin Burnes is had Tommy John surgery and will miss at least part of 2026. The bullpen lost Justin Martínez and A.J. Puk to UCL surgeries. The front office will definitely be looking for pitching this winter. Outfield upgrades might also be on the menu, given the struggles of Alek Thomas and Jake McCarthy.

With all of that going on, the front office might lean towards going into 2026 with Lawlar and Blaze Alexander competing for the third base job, as opposed to spending money or prospect capital to bring in someone else.

Photo courtesy of Mark J. Rebilas, Imagn Images

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.

Diamondbacks Designate Joe Mantiply For Assignment

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The Diamondbacks announced a series of roster moves today, most of which were previously reported. They have selected right-hander Jeff Brigham and signed infielder Ildemaro Vargas. To open active roster spots for those two, infielder Jordan Lawlar and right-hander Kevin Ginkel have been optioned to Triple-A Reno. The club had one open 40-man roster spot but opened a second by designating left-hander Joe Mantiply for assignment.

Mantiply, 34, has fallen on hards time here in 2025 after a strong performance in previous seasons. From 2021 to 2024, he logged 198 1/3 innings with the Diamondbacks, allowing 3.63 earned runs per nine. His 22% strikeout rate in that time was around average but he only walked 6% of batters faced and kept 51.9% of balls in play on the ground. He racked up three saves and 50 holds in that span.

But this year, he allowed 13 earned runs in his first 7 1/3 innings. He was optioned down to Reno in mid-April while sporting an ERA of 15.95. He was recalled briefly a couple of weeks ago and allowed four more earned runs in 2 1/3 innings before getting optioned down again. He currently has an ugly 15.83 ERA on the year, though in a small sample of 9 2/3 innings.

There’s surely some bad luck in there, with his .512 batting average on balls in play and 56.5% strand rate both far to the unfortunate side of things. However, his strikeout rate has also dropped to 13.8% this year and he’s only been getting grounders at a 43.2% clip.

Those struggles have apparently been enough for him to lose his 40-man spot. He now heads into DFA limbo, which can last as long as a week. The waiver process takes 48 hours, so the Snakes could spend up to five days exploring trade interest.

Other clubs might be willing to look past this year’s struggles but MLB teams are generally loath to take on money via midseason pickups, even relatively small amounts. Joel Payamps, like Mantiply, is a pitcher with some recent success but having a bad year. He recently passed through waivers, with no club willing to take on what remains of his $2.995MM salary.

Mantiply is making $1.7MM this year, barely half of what Payamps is making. He is also left-handed and can be optioned to the minors, whereas Payamps is a righty and out of options. On the other hand, Mantiply is three years older. The next few days will tell if Mantiply can find a club willing to take him on.

If he goes unclaimed, he will likely stick with the D’Backs as non-roster depth. Players with at least three years of major league service time have the right to reject an outright assignment and elect free agency. However, players with less than five years of service have to forfeit any remaining salary in order to exercise that right. Mantiply is shy of the five-year mark and would therefore probably accept an outright assignment, in order to keep that salary coming to him.

Photo courtesy of John Hefti, Imagn Images

Diamondbacks To Option Jordan Lawlar, Sign Ildemaro Vargas

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The Diamondbacks are optioning infielder Jordan Lawlar to Triple-A Reno, reports John Gambadoro of Arizona Sports 98.7 FM Phoenix. Infielder Ildemaro Vargas will be taking Lawlar’s roster spot. Vargas triggered an opt-out from his minor league deal and was released earlier this week. Gambadoro adds that Vargas will be re-signed to a major league deal. Arizona has an open 40-man roster spot at the moment, though it will be full once Vargas is officially added.

Lawlar, 22, earned a promotion to the majors earlier this month. One of the top prospects in the league, he had a monster line of .336/.413/.579 in Triple-A and it was getting harder and harder for the club to justify keeping him in Reno. However, they didn’t really have a great way to get him into the big league lineup. His primary position is shortstop, though he’s also spent some time at second and third base.

The Diamondbacks have Geraldo Perdomo at short, Eugenio Suárez at third and Ketel Marte at second. Pavin Smith and Randal Grichuk usually platoon in the designated hitter spot. They’re all performing well this year, to varying degrees. Nonetheless, manager Torey Lovullo felt there was a path to get Lawlar into the lineup about four times per week while others rested.

That hasn’t really come to pass. Lawlar was called up on May 12th and has subsequently appeared in eight games. Only six of those were starts. He entered one other game as a pinch hitter and another as a pinch runner. He hasn’t performed well in that sporadic playing time. In 22 plate appearances, he has three walks but nine strikeouts and no hits. Optioning him down therefore makes sense, as there’s not much use in having him scuffle in a part-time role. It’s far better for his long-term outlook to play regularly as he continues his development.

An injury to one of the current infielders would likely result in him making a quick return to the majors. His long-term path to playing time looks stronger since Suárez and Grichuk are impending free agents. With the Diamondbacks five games out of a playoff spot, it’s possible they end up traded this summer, which could get Lawlar another look in the big leagues. First baseman Josh Naylor is also an impending free agent, which could allow Smith to take over that spot in the near future.

For now, Vargas is a more logical bench infielder. A 33-year-old veteran, he has 422 big league games under his belt, having bounced around the field to every position except catcher and center field. He also hits from both sides of the plate. His .246/.289/.354 career batting line amounts to a wRC+ of 75, which is below average production in a vacuum but generally around what a club would expect from a versatile bench piece. He started this year with the Diamondbacks on a minor league deal but, as mentioned, opted out a few days ago. Before triggering that opt-out, he hit .261/.330/.397 over 49 games for Reno.

Photo courtesy of Mark J. Rebilas, Imagn Images

MLBTR Podcast: Devers Drama, Managerial Firings, And Jordan Lawlar

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The latest episode of the MLB Trade Rumors Podcast is now live on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and wherever you get your podcasts! Make sure you subscribe as well! You can also use the player at this link to listen, if you don’t use Spotify or Apple for podcasts.

This week, host Darragh McDonald is joined by Anthony Franco of MLB Trade Rumors to discuss…

Plus, we answer your questions, including…

  • Should the Orioles try to extend Cedric Mullins or Tomoyuki Sugano (35:05)
  • How real are the Twins and the Tigers? (39:00)
  • What should the Cardinals do in right field if Jordan Walker doesn’t get going? (44:50)
  • Why do the Mets seemingly do better with external pitching additions than their homegrown arms? (49:25)

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Diamondbacks Designate Garrett Hampson, José Castillo For Assignment

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The Diamondbacks announced that they have recalled infielder Jordan Lawlar, a move that was previously reported. They also reinstated right-hander Kendall Graveman from the injured list. To open roster spots for those two, lefty José Castillo and infielder Garrett Hampson were both designated for assignment. The club’s 40-man roster count drops to 38.

Hampson, 30, inked a minor league deal in free agency and broke camp with the D-backs after hitting .283/.393/.348 in 56 trips to the plate this spring. He hasn’t been able to carry that production over to the regular season. He’s appeared in only 18 games and taken just 41 turns at the plate, batting .167/.359/.167 in that span. He’s been a pest for opposing pitchers in the sense that he’s taken 10 walks, but Hampson is also 5-for-30 (all singles) and has bottom-of-the-scale contact metrics when he’s put the ball in play.

Arizona is Hampson’s fourth team in four seasons. He spent the first five seasons of his career with the Rockies but since his final season there has had one-year stints with the Marlins, Royals and now D-backs. He hasn’t hit much in any of those spots, combining for a .237/.308/.323 slash in 750 plate appearances dating back to 2022. However, Hamspon is a plus runner (84th percentile sprint speed, per Statcast) who can be deployed virtually anywhere on the diamond. Even though he’s been seldom used with the D-backs, he’s still seen time at five positions: second base, shortstop, third base, left field and center field.

Castillo, 29, has spent the better part of the past half decade in injury rehab. Since a strong MLB debut with the 2018 Padres, the southpaw has been on the injured list due to a torn ligament in his pitching hand, a torn lat and Tommy John surgery. Just making it back to the majors in the wake of so many rapid-fire injuries is a feat, but Castillo’s brief time with the Snakes didn’t go well. He pitched 6 1/3 innings out of Torey Lovullo’s bullpen — already his most in a big league season since ’18 — and was pounded for eight runs on 10 hits and three walks with three strikeouts.

As a rookie, Castillo fired 38 1/3 innings of 3.29 ERA ball for the Friars, fanning a gaudy 34.7% of his opponents against an 8.1% walk rate. He was terrific in a small 5 1/3-inning sample in Triple-A Reno this year, allowing only a run on four hits and no walks with seven strikeouts and a 58% grounder rate. That performance could lead to some interest from other teams, although Castillo’s once-95-mph heater has understandably dipped to an average of 93.3 mph in the wake of all those injuries.

Both Castillo and Hampson can spend a maximum of one week in DFA limbo. The D-backs can look to trade them during that time or simply place them on outright waivers. Since waivers take 48 hours to process, the team has up to five days to orchestrate trades of either player, should there be a market. In the event that they’re placed on waivers and go unclaimed, both players have enough major league service time to reject an outright assignment in favor of free agency.

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