The Diamondbacks officially welcome back first baseman Christian Walker, who missed five weeks with an oblique strain. At the same time, they lose left fielder Lourdes Gurriel Jr., as they’ve placed him on the 10-day injured list with a left calf strain.
Thank you for reading this post, don't forget to subscribe!Today's #Dbacks roster moves. pic.twitter.com/LbIcYDBBDT
— Arizona Diamondbacks (@Dbacks) September 3, 2024
Walker is expected to be in the Diamondbacks’ starting lineup at first base, per Arizona Sports radio host John Gambodoro.
Christian Walker will be in the lineup tonight versus the San Francisco Giants and playing first base.
— John Gambadoro (@Gambo987) September 3, 2024
Walker was off to another solid season, hitting .254 with 23 home runs and 71 RBI as the main run producer in the lineup and playing his usual Gold Glove-level defense. Following an oblique injury suffered on July 29, the Diamondbacks made a shrewd move to land Josh Bell in the waning hours of the trade deadline to fill in for him. Walker’s defense will be a huge addition to a pitching staff that has struggled for much of the season.
In a previous update, manager Torey Lovullo hinted at a protocol to play, meaning it isn’t just initially inserting in the lineup on an everyday basis. While Walker is at first base, Bell will likely start as the primary designated hitter against left-handed pitchers.
The Gurriel injury comes at a bad time for the Diamondbacks, as Gurriel had been swinging a hot bat. In his last 34 games, he was hitting .316 with seven doubles, four home runs, and a .870 OPS while maintaining a solid strikeout-to-walk ratio of 19-to-13. On the season as a whole, he’s slashing .274/.316/.428 with 17 home runs as a key right-handed bat in the outfield.
They’ll likely replace him with a platoon of Randal Grichuk and Jorge Barrosa in left field in order to minimize the amount of shuffling in the outfield. Barrosa was called up on September 1 as part of roster expansions and with Bell taking up the majority of the DH plate appearances vs. left-handed pitchers, Grichuk becomes a fourth outfielder.
Second baseman Ketel Marte is expected to return later on this road trip.
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Michael McDermott covers the Arizona Diamondbacks, Arizona Cardinals, and more for Burn City Sports. You can follow him on X via @MichaelMcDMLB
