Alek

Thomas

Thomas opened the scoring in the contest with a run-scoring double off of Emmet Sheehan in the second inning. He then added a two-run double in the fourth that tied the game at four runs apiece. He also drew a one-out walk in the ninth inning and swiped second base to get himself into scoring position, but the Diamondbacks were unable to cash him in. As long as he’s seeing regular at-bats for the D’Backs, his dynamic skillset makes him a viable option in deeper mixed leagues.

While Lourdes Gurriel is sidelined, the 23-year-old will have a chance to see regular at-bats for the Diamondbacks — essentially battling Alek Thomas to see who sticks in the lineup upon Gurriel’s return. Here’s the full lineup that the Diamondbacks will use against Yoshinobu Yamamoto and the Dodgers on Friday evening in Los Angeles: Ketel Marte (2B), Corbin Carroll (RF), Geraldo Perdomo (SS), Gabriel Moreno (C), Pavin Smith (DH), Nolan Arenado (3B), Carlos Santana (1B), Alex Thomas (CF) and Jordan Lawlar (LF).

Thomas shellacked a three-run blast off off Austin Gomber. The 25-year-old has raked in the Cactus League with a pair of homers and a .370/.452/.778 slash. He’s slated to play in left to begin the year, but while he is a former prospect of note, he hasn’t produced enoug hto trust as a fantasy option yet.

Interestingly, the Diamondbacks had Thomas in center and played Jordan Lawlar in left field for the first time today. Thomas is definitely Arizona’s safer option in center, but it has sounded like Lawlar was going get a chance to start there in the regular season. It has ramifications down the line, since the D-backs seem confident Lourdes Gurriel Jr. is going to make an earlier return from a torn ACL than originally expected. Of course, the D-backs could just use Gurriel primarily as a DH and keep playing both Lawlar and Thomas in the outfield.

Thomas stayed healthy last season, but he managed only a .249/.289/.370 line with his strikeout rate taking a big jump to 26%. He’s also already showing signs of decline on defense at age 25. This is probably a make-or-break season for him if he wants to be taken seriously as a starting outfielder. He’s looked more like a reserve of late.

Both players are arbitration-eligible, so this would be a move to free up salary cap space; however, Piecoro also notes that the Diamondbacks believe they have plenty of options to move into that vacated outfield role, including Jorge Barossa, Tim Tawa, Blaze Alexander, and even Jordan Lawlar, who has been playing center field this winter. Nothing is imminent, but this remains a story to watch because of what it could mean for Lawlar or Tawa’s playing time.

The Diamondbacks have struggled to get Lawlar on the field consistently in the infield, so this move is noteworthy. The team has Ketel Marte locked in at second base and just signed shortstop Geraldo Perdomo to a multi-year deal. With Blaze Alexander showing intriguing upside at third base, the Diamondbacks may be exploring the idea of turning the page on Alek Thomas and playing Jordan Lawlar in centerfield. It will be a situation to monitor in Spring Training.

Thomas has opened the month 9-for-15 with two homers in four games, lifting his OPS to .709. Nothing in his batted-ball numbers is super encouraging, so he’s probably still not a very good choice in general in shallow leagues. However, with the Diamondbacks set for two series against the Rockies over the next two weekends, including four games in Coors Field next week, he rates as a pretty good stopgap.

Thomas returns to Arizona’s outfield mix after spending two games away from the club on bereavement leave. The 25-year-old outfielder holds a .660 OPS with five homers and five steals in 90 games.

Thomas will be away from the team while dealing with something more important than baseball. He’ll likely return over the weekend, but for now Jorge Barrosa is up from Reno to take his spot on the roster.