Diamondbacks still aren’t sure what to do with $68.5 million signing Yasmany Tomas

First the Diamondbacks insisted Yasmany Tomas could play third base, then they moved him to the outfield, and now they’ve sent him to Triple-A. So what position will the $68.5 million pickup from Cuba play in the minors?

Steve Gilbert of MLB.com reports that Tomas will play third base, outfield, and possibly even some first base. Or as general manager Dave Stewart put it:

What we’re trying to do is figure out a way to create at-bats for him, which is primarily the reason he didn’t stay. If we had more at-bats and could get him more playing time, he’d be here.

First base in Arizona is occupied by Paul Goldschmidt and prospect Jake Lamb is a better long-term bet at third base. Mark Trumbo started in right field for the Diamondbacks on Opening Day. He’s a 29-year-old with a career .247 batting average and .298 on-base percentage. He also has a .460 slugging percentage thanks to 30-homer power, but the combination of his awful OBP skills, age, and poor defense make Trumbo someone who really shouldn’t be blocking Tomas on a rebuilding team.

Whenever he does get called up to Arizona for good, it seems likely that Tomas will be replacing Trumbo.

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