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Jordan Lawlar

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)

Check out our past episodes!

The podcast intro and outro song “So Long” is provided courtesy of the band Showoff.  Check out their Facebook page here!

Photo courtesy of Ken Blaze, Imagn Images

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.

Diamondbacks To Promote Jordan Lawlar

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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.

Diamondbacks Notes: Lawlar, Marte, Infield

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Diamondbacks prospect Jordan Lawlar is doing everything he can to push for a major league promotion, as he’s currently mashing in Triple-A. Assuming he eventually cements himself in the majors, the question will be what position he plays.

He came up as a shortstop prospect but the Diamondbacks don’t have much need at that position. Geraldo Perdomo took over regular shortstop duties in 2022. The Diamondbacks are evidently pleased with him there as they recently signed him to an extension that runs through 2029 with a club option for 2030. They could move Perdomo to second or third base, where he has some experience. However, his bat has only been around league average in recent years, as his speed and defense at short are his primary ways of providing value.

That has made it seem like Lawlar would eventually move to second or third. He has always had tremendous offensive numbers in the minors, so his bat should play elsewhere. The Snakes have had Ketel Marte as their regular second baseman for years and he’s signed well into the future as well, which seemingly made third base Lawlar’s best path. However, Bob Nightengale of USA Today says that some scouts think Lawlar will take over at second and bump Marte to first.

There hasn’t been any reporting to suggest that the Snakes do plan on moving Marte to first, but perhaps their usage of Lawlar this year is a tell. With Triple-A Reno, he has 123 innings at second base so far. He has just 36 innings at third base this year and just 95 in his entire minor league career. He has hundreds of innings at shortstop over the years but just 54 in 2025.

It would be an interesting pivot if the club is making it. The Diamondbacks acquired Eugenio Suárez ahead of 2024 to cover the third base position. He was going into the final season of his contract, so it seemed possible that he was simply a stopgap until Lawlar was ready. Suárez struggled badly in the first half of last year but Lawlar spent most of 2024 injured, dealing with thumb and hamstring injuries. He only got into 23 minor league games last year, giving Suárez a chance to get back on track. Suárez destroyed baseballs enough in the second half that the club picked up their $15MM option on him for 2025, instead of going for the $2MM buyout.

Coming into 2025, it was still fair to expect that Suárez would eventually give way to Lawlar. Suárez turns 34 in July and will be a free agent at season’s end. That could still be the plan but the fact that Lawlar is playing a lot of second base is interesting. Marte has had some injury absences in his career and is currently on the injured list with a hamstring strain. He is 31 years old and the club recently extended him through 2031, which would be his age-37 season. Perhaps they believe that moving him to first base would be the best thing for his long-term health.

Right now, Josh Naylor and Pavin Smith are sharing first base and designated hitter duties. Naylor is an impending free agent, so that could provide an opening for Marte to slide into as soon as next year.

This is all still fairly speculative but it’s a notable position for the Snakes to be in. It’s possible that they are simply moving Lawlar around to different positions, experimenting to see how things go. If he seems viable at multiple spots, that will give them more choice for how to proceed next offseason, with both first and third base set to be vacated going into the winter. Another factor could be that LuJames Groover is also one of the club’s top ten prospects and is currently hitting well at Double-A while playing third base regularly.

However it plays out defensively, Lawlar is generating a lot of excitement with his bat. He’s currently sporting a line of .356/.451/.644 with Reno this year. He won’t be able to maintain a .457 batting average on balls in play forever but he has five home runs and a 13% walk rate. He also has 12 stolen bases in 13 attempts through 26 games.

Photo courtesy of Michael Chow, Imagn Images

Diamondbacks Reassign Trey Mancini To Minor League Camp

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Opening Day is just a week away, which means the camp cuts will become more notable. The Diamondbacks made a few today. They optioned pitchers Kyle Nelson and Drey Jameson as well as infielder Jordan Lawlar to Triple-A Reno. Right-hander Scott McGough and first baseman/outfielder Trey Mancini, who were in camp as non-roster invitees, were reassigned to minor league camp.

Mancini’s reassignment is arguably the most notable move of the bunch. The veteran signed a minor league deal with the Snakes last month and put up huge numbers this spring. In 27 Cactus League plate appearances, he has a line of .440/.481/.640. An unsustainable .667 batting average on balls in play is helping him out, but it’s still a nice showing for a guy who didn’t play in 2024.

Longtime baseball fans will be familiar with Mancini’s inspirational journey. He hit 86 home runs and slashed .276/.335/.485 for the Orioles over the 2016 through 2019 seasons, production which translated to a 116 wRC+. He then missed the entire 2020 season while battling colon cancer. He made a triumphant return in 2021, hitting another 21 home runs and putting up a .255/.326/.432 line and 105 wRC+. He produced largely similar numbers in 2022, a season in which he was traded to the Astros and earned a World Series ring.

The two subsequent years were a challenge. He signed a two-year, $14MM deal with the Cubs going into 2023 but hit .234/.299/.336 for a 76 wRC+ and was released in early August. Going into 2024, he signed a minor league deal with the Marlins but opted out of that deal at the end of camp. He didn’t sign anywhere else during the 2024 season. It was reported in November that he was looking to mount a comeback bid, which was followed by a minor league deal with the Snakes in February.

What’s unclear now is if Mancini has an opt-out on this deal, as he did in his pact with the Marlins last spring. Some veterans get automatic opt-outs on minor league deals, but one of the requirements for those is that a player was on a major league roster or injured list at the end of the previous season. That was not the case for Mancini, so the only way he would have an opt-out is if he negotiated one into his contract.

After missing the entire 2024 season, perhaps he would welcome the opportunity to play in some minor league games and get back into a normal rhythm. However, given his track record and big spring numbers, he might also be interested in seeing what other opportunities are out there. The Snakes seem likely to use Josh Naylor and Pavin Smith as regulars in the first base and designated hitter spots. Mancini has experience in the outfield corners as well but has never graded out well there and the D’Backs have plenty of options for those spots.

Lawlar is perhaps the best-known name among the other players, since he has been one of the top prospects in baseball for a while. He made his big league debut late in 2023 but hit just .129/.206/.129 in 34 plate appearances. He then missed most of the 2024 season due to injury, getting into just 23 minor league games. He’s having a strong spring, hitting .294/.368/.529, but getting optioned is a sensible move.

Arizona has Geraldo Perdomo and Eugenio Suárez covering Lawlar’s primary positions of shortstop and third base. After a mostly lost season, getting regular reps in Reno is probably what’s best for him, especially since he’s still just 22 years old. Suárez is an impending free agent, so a solid campaign from Lawlar could line him up for a regular big league role next year. Or perhaps sooner, if injuries create an opening.

Jameson, 27, has some decent big league numbers. He tossed 65 innings for the Snakes over 2022 and 2023, making seven starts and 12 relief appearances. He missed the entire 2024 season recovering from Tommy John surgery. It’s unclear if the Diamondbacks view him more as a starter or reliever going forward. After missing all of last year, perhaps pitching in Triple-A is better either way.

If he is to continue starting, they don’t have a big league role for him now anyway. They have seven viable rotation options in Corbin Burnes, Zac Gallen, Merrill Kelly, Eduardo Rodríguez, Jordan Montgomery, Brandon Pfaadt and Ryne Nelson. However, Gallen, Kelly and Montgomery are impending free agents and Burnes can opt-out after 2026, so there are long-term jobs available if Jameson returns to starting in Reno this year.

Diamondbacks Notes: Moreno, Gurriel, Thomas, Lawlar

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After a shocking run to the World Series last October, the Diamondbacks once again find themselves inching towards the playoffs with a 1.5-game lead over the Braves and Mets in the AL Wild Card race. Arizona is in the second of three spots, leaving Atlanta and New York in a tie for the third spot. While there’s still room for things to change, Fangraphs gives the Snakes a strong 86.4% chance of making the postseason for the second consecutive year when all is said and done. Even with those solid odds, the club will surely want all the help it can get to secure its positioning and head into the playoffs strong.

Fortunately, reinforcements are on the way as manager Torey Lovullo told reporters (including Alex Weiner of AZSports) that both catcher Gabriel Moreno and outfielder Lourdes Gurriel Jr. are “very close” to being activated from the injured list. The duo were scheduled to play in a game at the club’s Spring Training complex today where Moreno was set to both hit and catch while Gurriel would hit without playing the field. That leaves Moreno, who has been out for six weeks due to a groin strain, a bit closer to playing in the majors than Gurriel, who’s been out two weeks now with a strained calf.

Moreno, 24, is in his second season with the Diamondbacks after being acquired from the Blue Jays alongside Gurriel in the Daulton Varsho trade prior to the 2023 campaign. Moreno has established himself well as a solid two-way catcher and has posted a .262/.344/.385 slash line with a 105 wRC+ while playing excellent defense behind the plate. That two-way talent has left the Snakes missing Moreno dearly, as they’ve utilized a combination of the light-hitting but defensively gifted Jose Herrera alongside youngster Adrian Del Castillo, who sports a 138 wRC+ but questionable defense behind the plate.

As for Gurriel, the 30-year-old has hit .274/.316/.428 with a 105 wRC+ that’s identical to not only Moreno’s own figure from this year but also the production Gurriel posted in his first season with Arizona last year. Fortunately for Arizona, however, Gurriel’s absence hasn’t been felt as much as may have been initially expected due to an offensive explosion on the part of Pavin Smith, who has slashed an incredible .286/.385/.905 with four home runs in nine games since taking over for Gurriel in left field alongside Randal Grichuk. While Smith’s 72-homer pace is obviously not sustainable long-term, his hot streak has allowed the club to post MLB’s best offense by wRC+ (138) in September despite losing a key cog in their lineup for whom they didn’t have an obvious replacement at the ready.

Gurriel and Moreno aren’t the only two players who could be called upon to help the Diamondbacks headed into the postseason, however. According to a conversation between GM Mike Hazen and MLB.com’s Steve Gilbert, outfielder Alek Thomas and top infield prospect Jordan Lawlar are both regarded as “possible” contributors down the stretch and into the postseason. Thomas was optioned to the minors back in August and subsequently suffered an oblique strain at Triple-A but, per Gilbert, is nearly ready to return to action. Thomas has had another disappointing season offensively with a .191/.248/.362 slash line in 32 games at the big league level, but he offers excellent defense in all three outfield spots that could make him an asset in a bench role.

Lawlar, meanwhile, made it into just 13 games before the calendar flipped to September this year between thumb surgery and a hamstring strain but finally made it back into Triple-A earlier this week. Per Gilbert, Lawlar is expected to play winter ball this offseason to make up for the reps he lost to injury this year, but it’s not hard to imagine the club preferring the 22-year-old to their other bench infield options like Luis Guillorme and Kevin Newman headed into the postseason. Lawlar was similarly included on the club’s postseason roster last year, when he appeared in three games and went 0-for-1 with a walk and a run scored.

Injury Notes: Hall, Lawlar, Garrett, Gipson-Long

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As of a few days ago, it seemed like left-hander DL Hall was on the cusp of returning to the Brewers after going on the injured list in April due to a left knee sprain. But his rehab outing on July 4 was shortened by rain and the club decided to give him one more rehab start, per Curt Hogg of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel on X.

He took the ball for Triple-A Nashville on Tuesday and started out with two scoreless innings but then the leadoff hitter in the third lined a pitch back to the mound and hit Hall’s left forearm. Adam McCalvy of MLB.com relayed video of the play on X. Per Hogg on X, Hall avoided a fracture but will be shut down for three to ten days. That will obviously delay his return to the club for at least that stretch of time, and he may need another rehab stint or two after that, depending on how long he rests.

He has not yet established himself at the big league level but he has always pitched very well in the minors and was considered one of the top 100 prospects in the sport while with the Orioles, before coming over to the Brewers in the Corbin Burnes trade. The Brewers have dealt with several challenges in the rotation, with Wade Miley and Robert Gasser done for the year while Joe Ross is also on the 60-day IL.

The club recently acquired Aaron Civale from the Rays and Dallas Keuchel from the Mariners to bolster the rotation, slotting them in with Freddy Peralta, Colin Rea and Tobias Myers. Hall could have entered that mix and nudged someone to the bullpen or the minors, but that will now have to wait.

Some more notable injury updates from around baseball…

  • Diamondbacks shortstop prospect Jordan Lawlar’s injury woes continue. He underwent thumb surgery at the end of March, which put him out of action for about two months. He started a rehab assignment at the end of May but then dealt with a hamstring issue in the middle of June and underwent an MRI, per Nick Piecoro of the Arizona Republic on X. He was able to return to the field a few days ago but reinjured that hamstring and will now miss six to eight weeks, per Piecoro on X. Lawlar has only played 13 minor league games this year and won’t have much time to add to that, meaning 2024 will be mostly a lost season for him, an unfortunate development for a guy who’s still considered one of the top 20 prospects in the league and a big part of the future in Arizona. The Snakes have Geraldo Perdomo at short for now and Kevin Newman on the bench. Newman is a free agent after this year but they have Blaze Alexander on the 40-man and on optional assignment.
  • The Mets placed right-hander Reed Garrett on the 15-day IL this week due to elbow inflammation. Thankfully, his MRI revealed good news. As relayed by Anthony DiComo of MLB.com on X, he just has some nerve inflammation. While he’s slated for a shutdown of two to four weeks, that’s surely a better outcome for him and the team than a surgery followed by a lengthy recovery period. Garrett had an ERA of 1.04 through 26 innings this year but then a 7.88 ERA in his 16 most recent frames. If he can get back on track after his shutdown period, it would be a nice bump for the Mets’ bullpen down the stretch.
  • Tigers right-hander Sawyer Gipson-Long had internal brace surgery back in April and was already slated to spend the rest of 2024 rehabbing from that. On top of that, he’s also now undergone left hip labral repair surgery. Jason Beck of MLB.com was among those to relay the news on X and also passed along some thoughts from manager A.J. Hinch. It seems the club is hoping that it makes sense to address both at the same time and that the second procedure won’t add to his return timeline. “The timing works out to address this while he’s recovering from Tommy John,” Hinch said. “That’s the reason why now. It’s something that we’ve kept an eye on and he’s talked about.” He made his major league debut last year with a 2.70 ERA in four starts and will hopefully be back in the mix at some point next year.
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