The Diamondbacks announced that outfielder Lourdes Gurriel Jr. has been reinstated from the 10-day injured list. Fellow outfielder Ryan Waldschmidt has been optioned to Triple-A Reno as the corresponding move.
Waldschmidt came into this season as the club’s top prospect. He started the season in Triple-A and put up a .289/.400/.477 line in 156 plate appearances at that level. A week into May, they decided to make a move. They designated longtime center fielder Alek Thomas for assignment, later dealing him to the Dodgers, and called up Waldschmidt to cover center field.
Though Waldschmidt started hot, slashing .353/.411/.471 in his first 57 plate appearances, he has since gone ice cold. In his most recent 65 trips to the plate, he has a .180/.231/.262 line while drawing walks just 4.6% of the time and striking out at a 36.9% clip.
As he has been struggling, the Diamondbacks have been getting healthier. Jordan Lawlar broke his wrist in early April but was reinstated from the IL a few days ago. Gurriel hit the IL about three weeks ago with a hamstring strain but is back today.
The Snakes have Corbin Carroll as a mainstay in right field. Today’s lineup has Lawlar in center, Tommy Troy in left and Lourdes Gurriel Jr. at designated hitter. With this move, perhaps Lawlar will get some extended run to establish himself in the big leagues.
Lawlar has seemingly been on the cusp of a big league breakout for years. He has always crushed minor league pitching and made his big league debut back in 2023. Since then, he has either been blocked for playing time or injured. Whenever he would get a big league shot, he would struggle. That included some bad defense from the third base position last year.
In the winter, the Snakes acquired Nolan Arenado to cover third and moved Lawlar to the outfield. Lawlar got out a brilliant start this year, hitting .320/.414/.480 in eight games, before the aforementioned broken wrist. With Thomas no longer on the team and Waldschmidt struggling, there could be a good amount of runway for Lawlar to run with the center field job if he stays healthy.
As for Waldschmidt, he will head down to Reno and try to get back on track. Plenty of prospects over the years have struggled when first promoted and been sent to the minors, only to come back and later make their mark. He has always had strong walk and strikeout numbers throughout his minor league career, so he will presumably be working on figuring out why that was an issue facing big league pitchers.
Even if Lawlar does cement himself as a viable big league bat, there should be room for him and Waldschmidt to co-exist in the outfield at some point in the future. Gurriel is an impending free agent after this season. His deal has a $14MM club option with a $5MM buyout, making it just a $9MM net decision, but he is hitting just .228/.284/.304 on the year. He would need to catch fire to make that option a real consideration. Troy is in the mix but he has experience at other positions and could end up in a utility role. If Lawlar and Waldschmidt both ultimately become viable big leaguers, the Snakes could later sort out who is the better fit for center or left.
Assuming Waldschmidt stays down on optional assignment for at least 20 days, he will burn his first of three option years. Waldschmidt didn’t get to 130 at-bats, currently at 112, so he could maintain rookie status into 2027 if he stays down for most of the rest of the year. That could potentially be notable down the line if he stays on top prospect lists, as he it could impact the Prospect Promotion Incentive next year.
Photo courtesy of Mark J. Rebilas, Imagn Images
