The D-Backs are designating first baseman Pavin Smith for assignment, reports Nick Piecoro of The Arizona Republic. Rookie outfielder Ryan Waldschmidt will be recalled from Triple-A Reno to replace him on the active roster.
That might mark the end of nearly a decade in the organization for Smith, whom the D-Backs selected with the #7 overall pick in 2017. The lefty batter has shown intermittent offensive flashes but ultimately hasn’t provided enough from a bat-first position. Smith has yet to top the 11 home runs or 27 doubles he tallied during his first full big league season in 2021.
Smith was up and down from Triple-A for the next couple seasons. Aside from minor league rehab assignments, he has been in the big leagues since August 2024. Smith popped nine homers with a .270/.348/.547 batting line over 60 games that season, but that hopeful breakout proved short-lived. His strikeout rate spiked the next year, though a jump in his average on balls in play resulted in a solid .258/.362/.434 slash across 288 plate appearances.
That was enough for the D-Backs to roll with Smith as the strong side of a first base platoon this year. They’d traded Josh Naylor at the deadline and focused their offseason resources on starting pitching. Smith would ideally split time with either Tyler Locklear or free agent signee Carlos Santana at first base. That didn’t work out. Locklear has spent the entire season in Triple-A, while Smith and the since-released Santana both struggled and got injured early in the season.
Smith was down from April through the beginning of June. He underwent surgery in mid-April to remove loose bodies from his left elbow. Smith hasn’t hit at all since returning, batting .141 with one homer across 28 games. He has a league average .241/.325/.394 batting line in more than 1600 plate appearances over parts of seven seasons.
Arizona’s first base group has been the worst in MLB by far. Ildemaro Vargas has been one of the league’s least productive hitters since his improbable 24-game hit streak to begin the season. Rookies Jose Fernandez and LuJames Groover have struggled in limited playing time.
D-Backs first basemen have an overall .210/.253/.303 slash line across 366 plate appearances. It’s their most obvious area to address if they buy at the deadline, preferably with a left-handed bat. Cincinnati’s Nathaniel Lowe would seem an obvious target given his affordable $1.75MM base salary. Kody Clemens, Gavin Sheets and Jake Burger are a few others who could be available on the trade front.
Waldschmidt, Arizona’s top prospect, is up for the second time this season. He struggled to make contact consistently in his first look at MLB pitching. Waldschmidt has hit well against Triple-A arms and has been on a nice run since being optioned in mid-June. The D-Backs presumably wouldn’t bring him back up to play sporadically. He should be in the everyday lineup in left or center field, moving one of Max Kepler or Tommy Troy to the bench.
The D-Backs have five days to trade Smith or place him on waivers. He’s playing on a $2.25MM arbitration salary, around $950K of which has yet to be paid. Smith is a little shy of five years of service time and would forfeit his remaining salary if he elects free agency, so he’d very likely accept a Triple-A assignment if he goes unclaimed on waivers.
