Ryan Waldschmidt (thumb) could come off bench

No word yet regarding how much time Gurriel will miss, but he’s likely facing a multi-week absence. His departure from Arizona’s outfield mix creates space of Ryan Waldschmidt and Max Kepler to play virtually everyday between center and left field, respectively. The 32-year-old impending free agent has hit .207 (36-for-174) with two homers, 21 RBI and one steal in 189 plate appearances over 47 games since making his season debut back on April 18.

Waldschmidt missed Saturday’s game after suffering a right thumb contusion when he was hit by a pitch on a bunt attempt Friday.

X-rays were negative. Waldschmidt made no reaction to pull back his bunt as a 100-mph sinker from Edgardo Henriquez got in on him and took the pitch off the hand. He should consider himself very fortunate not to have suffered a break.

As anticipated, Waldschmidt gets another opportunity with the big league club with Pavin Smith being designated for assignment on Friday. The 23-year-old has focused on cutting down his strikeout rate at the Triple-A level, and if that can translate with the Diamondbacks he could hit wind up having some mixed league viability, especially with his upside in the stolen base department.

Waldschmidt didn’t seem ready the first time around, but he had dragged his strikeout rate under 20 percent in the three weeks since he returned to Triple-A. He’s probably not ready to hit homers in the majors, but if the Diamondbacks want to play him regularly, he might steal enough bases to be useful in 12-team leagues. Tommy Troy, Max Kepler and Lourdes Gurriel Jr. could all lose at-bats with Waldschmidt back.

Lawlar missed two months after suffering a fractured wrist in his sixth game of the season in April. Now he’s back on the IL after injuring his hamstring in his sixth game after returning to the lineup. Manager Torey Lovullo said there’s some hope Lawlar could beat a potential four- to six-week timeline, but it seems likely that he’s out through the break. The Diamondbacks didn’t recall Ryan Waldschmidt as Lawlar’s replacement, instead choosing Tim Tawa, so it looks like Jorge Barrosa is about to see a significant playing time increase. They can also use Tommy Troy in center, Lourdes Gurriel Jr. in left and Adrian Del Castillo at DH in search of more offense, not that Del Castillo has provided much to date.

Lawlar just can’t seem to stay healthy for any length of time. He had two hits before being lifted for a pinch-hitter in the eighth inning Friday. If he needs to return to the IL, the D-backs could bring Ryan Waldschmidt back to the majors.

Waldschmidt returns to the minors with veteran Lourdes Gurriel Jr. back from the injured list for Monday’s showdown against the Angels. The 23-year-old top prospect arrived in the big leagues as an intriguing power/speed combo threat last month, but wound up hitting a pedestrian .259/.314/.357 with 11 runs scored, zero homers, eight RBI and five steals in 122 plate appearances over 33 games. He’ll need to show some growth from a plate skills perspective to reach his lofty fantasy ceiling, but the talent is there for Waldschmidt to provide sustained fantasy relevance at some point in the future.

Waldschmidt went 2-for-11 with five strikeouts in three games against the Mariners over the weekend. It’ll be fellow rookie Tommy Troy in left field on Monday night against the Dodgers to face starter Emmet Sheehan.

Waldschmidt’s triple was a shot that Jake McCarthy couldn’t quite get to, scoring Ildemaro Vargas in the process. The rookie center fielder is already up to five stolen bases in just 57 plate appearances, and he’s sporting an OBP over .400. That will likely come down given an unsustainable BABIP, but he’s impressing early in his career. Waldschmidt hit sixth in Sunday’s contest after batting ninth in every previous game he started.