Diamondbacks promote top prospect Ryan Waldschmidt and cut veteran Alek Thomas

PHOENIX (AP) — The struggling Arizona Diamondbacks shook up their roster Friday, promoting their top prospect, outfielder Ryan Waldschmidt, from Triple-A and designating veteran outfielder Alek Thomas for assignment.

The 23-year-old Waldschmidt — who nearly made the team out of spring training — was batting .289 with three homers, 22 RBIs and an .877 OPS at Triple-A Reno. He was the 31st pick in the 2024 amateur draft out of Kentucky.

Waldschmidt was not in the starting lineup Friday night against the New York Mets, but he had a pinch-hit single in the eighth inning of a 3-1 loss. Both of his parents, his brother and some friends were at Chase Field to watch.

“That’s one of the things you’re looking to do — get your first hit,” Waldschmidt said. “For it to come in the first at-bat is really cool and definitely relieves some of the pressure that you put on yourself.”

The Diamondbacks have lost 12 of 16, falling to 17-20 this season.

The 26-year-old Thomas was hitting .181 with two homers in 100 plate appearances. The speedy center fielder has been a good defensive player throughout his five-year tenure with the club, but often struggled at the plate.

He has a .230 career batting average and a .273 on-base percentage. Arizona manager Torey Lovullo praised Thomas’ ability and work ethic, but said the D-backs needed better at-bats at the bottom of the order.

“This is a game of production, this is a game of being able to go out there and do your job,” Lovullo said. “When things are grinding, and there’s somebody as talented and ready as Ryan Waldschmidt is, these are the things that can potentially happen.”

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Thomas had his share of big moments with the Diamondbacks, particularly during the team’s run to the World Series in 2023. He hit four homers during the postseason, including a tying, two-run shot against the Phillies in Game 4 of the NLCS.

D-backs general manager Mike Hazen has seven days to trade or release Thomas before he’s put on waivers. If he’s not picked up by one of the other 29 teams, he could theoretically be sent back to Triple-A Reno.

“He is a tremendously talented player and a great kid and he works his butt off,” Hazen said. “It just didn’t click for us for extended periods of time here.”

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AP MLB: https://apnews.com/hub/mlb