Jose

Fernandez

Perhaps this was already a planned day off for Perdomo, but it’s odd to give the slumping infielder a breather after he went 3-for-4 with an RBI on Saturday night against the Jays. Jose Fernandez will start in his place at shortstop and bat third for the Diamondbacks on Sunday.

This is now the third straight game Moreno has missed. It had previously been reported that he would wind up on the injured list, but, so far, the Diamondbacks have not decided to make that move. Instead, Adrian Del Castillo will start behind the dish and bat fourth, which will allow Jose Fernandez to bat fifth and be the designated hitter.

Fernandez plated Geraldo Perdomo with a game-tying RBI single off of Jose Alvarado in the eighth inning, then raced around to score the go-ahead run on an RBI knock off the bat of Adrian Del Castillo. The 22-year-old continues to impress with the Diamondbacks, slashing .333/.333/.528 with two homers, seven RBI and a stolen base through his first 36 big league plate appearances.

Fernandez smacked a one-out double off of Nolan McLean in the second inning, but never advanced past second base. He then helped to spur a four-run rally in the seventh with a one-out single that chased McLean before scoring on an RBI ground out off the bat of Alek Thomas. He also drove in a run with a ground ball in the eighth inning. The 22-year-old infielder has impressed in his brief stay with the Diamondbacks, hitting .333 (8-for-24) with a pair of home runs, five RBI and a stolen base.

It’s notable that Fernandez is getting an opportunity at the cold corner with veteran Carlos Santana off to a frigid .043 (1-for-23) start through seven games. The 22-year-old rookie has gone 3-for-9 with two homers and four RBI through three games since being called up earlier this week.

X-rays were negative last night, but a CT scan found the fracture, and he’s expected to miss 6-8 weeks. Adrian Del Castillo is set to come off the IL and replace him on the active roster. Jorge Barrosa and Tim Tawa will get some extra at-bats, and Jose Fernandez will keep playing fairly regularly for now. Lourdes Gurriel Jr. will likely beat Lawlar back from the IL, which might result in some playing time questions when Lawlar returns.

The 22-year-old has made a major impact in his first two starts for the Diamondbacks but he’ll take a seat in this one with Carlos Santana starting at first base and Corbin Carroll functioning as the club’s designated hitter. Jorge Barrosa will draw a rare start in right field and bat ninth against Reynaldo Lopez and the Braves on Thursday evening.

You know the Diamondbacks were going to get the 22-year-old into the lineup after he went 3-for-4 with two homers and four RBI in his MLB debut on Tuesday. Fernandez is likely to be a popular name on waiver wires, and we understand it since he has elite bat speed, plus raw power, and high-end speed. However, he also only has one game played above Double-A and was struggling to assert himself as a prospect in the Diamondbacks organization until taking a step forward last year. He could absolutely be continuing his ascent and making good on plus raw tools, but he could also emerge as an inconsistent young player who finds himself back in Triple-A. You can take the risk on waivers based on his upside, but maybe save some of your FAAB dollars.

Fernandez received his first call-up earlier this week with Pavin Smith (elbow) landing on the injured list. His first game could not have gone better. The 22-year-old knocked his first base hit in the second inning, then slugged his first career homer with a solo shot off Casey Mize in the fourth. With the team trailing by one run with two runners on in the eighth, he took Kenley Jansen deep for a three-run blast to put the Diamondbacks ahead. Two of his first three hits leaving the yard is certainly a way to start his career. It’s unknown how much playing time Fernandez stands to get, especially with Nolan Arenado and Geraldo Perdomo on the left side of Arizona’s infield, but you have to think two homers certainly earns him more looks in the DH mix.

Arenado takes a seat for the first time this season following four consecutive starts with prospect Jose Fernandez set to make his major-league debut at Chase Field. The 34-year-old defensive wizard has gotten off to a frigid 2-for-16 start in his Diamondbacks debut.