Tuesday, September 29

Welcome to the D-backs Beat newsletter! I’m Steve Gilbert and I’ve been writing about the D-backs since 1998.

SAN FRANCISCO -- The Diamondbacks opened a three-game set against the Giants in San Francisco on Monday with three rookies in the starting lineup. Despite the fact that each of them began the season in the Minor Leagues, the team is already leaning on them for help early in the season.

Jose Fernandez, who was called up at the end of March when first baseman Pavin Smith was injured, was playing first base and batting eighth. 

Then there was Ryan Waldschmidt, who came up a couple of weeks ago when the team designated outfielder Alek Thomas for assignment, playing center field and hitting sixth. 

Finally, Tommy Troy, called up just two days ago when Lourdes Gurriel Jr. went down with an injury, was playing left field and batting ninth.

"It's exciting, I think, to see these young guys come up and contribute," Arizona GM Mike Hazen said prior to Monday's game. "I think they add a degree of energy into what you're doing in the middle of the season, for sure. You know, this is new to them. It's exciting. Sometimes you get into the rhythm of the season and I think their teammates probably appreciate the breath of fresh air that they get from these kids that are up here." 

Fernandez boosted the Diamondbacks after a tough opening series in Los Angeles when they were swept by the Dodgers, and Waldschmidt also seemed to give the team some life when he got the call. 

Troy made his big league debut Sunday afternoon and collected a pair of doubles in a win. 

A shortstop at Stanford before being selected by the Diamondbacks with the 12th overall pick in the 2023 MLB Draft, Troy had played second base and left and center with Triple-A Reno this year. For now, he'll play the outfield, which is where the need is with Gurriel out. 

"He'd done a good job down there," Hazen said of Troy. "We had moved him to the outfield once we called up [Waldschmidt]. 

"He had played there some, but once Ryno came up here, we had to move him out there a little more consistently, and he did a good job. Obviously, with Lourdes' injury, we were looking for somebody that was going to have the ability to make an offensive impact. He brings a speed element. We have a number of guys down there that are going to deserve to get an opportunity, and we'll probably see them at some point this year." 

Gurriel is expected to be back when his 10-day stint on the IL is over on June 2, while Smith and outfielder Jordan Lawlar are starting to get closer themselves.

How playing time is divided and who stays and who goes when everyone is healthy is a "problem" that Hazen considers a good one to have as opposed to not having enough talented players. 

"I'll deal with it when I have to," he said. "We'll deal with that happily if everyone's playing that well, and we'll figure something out. The converse is the one I don't want to figure out." 

Infielder Ildemaro Vargas, who was the talk of baseball in the month of April when he had a 27-game hitting streak and was named NL Player of the Month, has expectedly cooled a bit at the plate. 

Diamondbacks manager Torey Lovullo gave Vargas a day off from starting Monday and put Fernandez at first in his place. Vargas came in as a pinch-hitter in the sixth and went 0-for-2.

Even with his offense down, taking Vargas out of the lineup is not an easy proposition. 

"It’s hard," Hazen said. "He’s probably one of the best defensive first basemen in all of baseball. We are trading off recent offense for defense. I can hand pick more than one or two plays that he has made that, I don’t know if they have saved us a ballgame, but definitely has kept our pitching in check, saving them with some of the stuff he’s done. That’s extremely valuable for us." 

Hazen also had a theory as to why Vargas is having a little tough time at the plate. 

"You post a .900 OPS and you're the National League Player of the Month, opposing [teams] look at you differently," Hazen said. "You can’t just hide in the eight-hole and not expect them to bring up your name. When you’re hitting in the four-, five-hole, I’m sure they’re keying some of their opposition strategy against him." 

• Corbin Carroll collected another two triples in Sunday's win over the Rockies. 

• Speaking of Carroll and triples, he is on a historic pace. 

• Troy picked up his first Major League hit in his debut Sunday. 

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