The Diamondbacks announced that outfielder Lourdes Gurriel Jr. has been reinstated from the 10-day injured list. Infielder Luis Guillorme has been designated for assignment in a corresponding move.
Gurriel landed on the 10-day IL at the start of the month due to a strained left calf. Prior to landing on the shelf, he had been producing at a rate a bit above league average. He has 17 home runs on the year, a batting line of .274/.316/.428 and a 104 wRC+. He also has seven stolen bases and solid defensive metrics, leading to a tally of 1.8 wins above replacement on the year, per FanGraphs.
Getting that kind of production back is nice for the Snakes, assuming he can pick up where he left off, though manager Torey Lovullo might have to make some tough decisions in setting his lineup every day. Pavin Smith has been covering left field with Gurriel out and has a massive .296/.378/.591 line and 161 wRC+ on the year. Moving either to right field isn’t really an option as Corbin Carroll has picked things up after a weak start to the year. He was hitting .197/.282/.291 through the end of May but .254/.344/.520 since, the latter line leading to a 135 wRC+.
Joc Pederson is hitting well out of the designated hitter slot. Jake McCarthy is playing well in center and the same goes for Christian Walker at first base. Solid players like Josh Bell and Randal Grichuk are already getting little playing time and the return of Gurriel will further crowd things, though that’s a good problem for the Snakes to have as they look to lock down a playoff spot in the final days of the season. They are currently 85-68, tied with the Mets for the second and third Wild Card spots. The Padres are two games up on that pair while Atlanta is two games back.
More to come.
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