Eugenio

Suarez

The 25-year-old has already appeared in four games (two starts) at the hot corner this season, but with Geraldo Perdomo back to see action at shortstop and Eugenio Suarez struggling mightily offensively, it sounds like Alexander has an opportunity to carve out a real role there if he continues to hit the ball. He’ll start at third base and bat eighth against the Angels on Wednesday night.

Suárez gets a day off with Blaze Alexander starting at third base. So far in May, Suárez has hit just .154 while striking out in 17 of 54 at-bats.

The 32-year-old slugger was hit by a pitch to start the fourth inning, then stole his first base of the season, but the Diamondbacks couldn’t cash him in. He then added a valuable insurance run with a two-out, 390-foot (104.4) solo shot off of Lucas Sims that extended the Diamondbacks’ lead to 4-2 — and proved to be the difference in the ballgame. With his two-hit attack, Suárez is now hitting .226/.295/.346 with three long balls and 20 RBI on the season.

Suárez served as Arizona’s primary offensive catalyst in this one, kicking off the scoring with a second-inning run-scoring single before plating an additional run with a ground-rule double in the fifth inning as part of a three-hit peformance. Unfortunately, it wasn’t enough as the Diamondbacks’ bullpen wound up melting down over the final few frames in an eventual loss at Busch Stadium.

Suárez also drew three walks, so it’s a five-reach game for the 32-year-old veteran. He also drove in a run with a single in the ninth inning to give Arizona a 16-1 lead. Still counts. In his first season with the Diamondbacks, Suárez is now slashing a less-than-spectacular .240/.314/.360, but this did break up a 1-for-17 scuffle over his previous five games.

Suárez swatted a three-run blast in the sixth inning, and it tied the game at 6-6. It was the last run the D-Backs would score in a 9-6 defeat. The veteran third baseman has gone deep twice in the first 14 games of the season — his first season as a member of the Diamondbacks — while driving in 12 runs in that timeframe. So far, so good from a player that mostly disappointed during the 2023 campaign.

No real surprises for the defending NL champions as they kick off the 2024 campaign. Here’s the full lineup: Ketel Marte 2B, Carroll RF, Lourdes Gurriel Jr. LF, Christian Walker 1B, Gabriel Moreno C, Eugenio Suárez 3B, Blaze Alexander DH, Alek Thomas CF and Geraldo Perdomo SS.

The 32-year-old slugger worked a walk in the second inning and came around to score the game’s first run on an error by Tyler Wade. The Diamondbacks then took control of the game with a four-run uprising in the third inning, capped off by Suárez’s three-run shot off of Pedro Avila. He’s off to a strong start in his first spring training with the Diamondbacks, hitting .429 (3-for-7) with a homer, three RBI and four runs scored.

Diamondbacks manager Torey Lovullo said the move was just precautionary and there’s no long-term concern. The 32-year-old third baseman should be ready to return in a few days, if not sooner.

The move settles a clear problem spot for the Diamondbacks during the 2023 season; while Suárez was playing in 162 games for the Mariners, Arizona had Josh Rojas (since traded to Seattle), Emmanuel Rivera, Evan Longoria (now a free agent) and Jace Peterson all take turns at the hot corner. Suárez wound up hitting .232/.323/.391 with 22 homers this past season for Seattle. He also led the American League in strikeouts for the third time in the last five years, finishing with 214. He was better in 2022, but he’s essentially been a league-average hitter over the past four years. Still, that’s fairly valuable and clearly worth the $11 million salary he’ll command in 2024. This move makes it likely top prospect Jordan Lawlar opens next season in the minors, but that was likely always the plan.