Pavin

Smith

Arizona finally decided to give Smith an extended break after dealing with elbow soreness since last week’s season-opener. It doesn’t sound like a serious concern considering he was able to play through the issue.

After being scratched with elbow soreness on Opening Day and allegedly set for an MRI, Pavin Smith will be in the Diamondbacks’ lineup as their designated hitter on Friday. As of now, he appears to be their favorite option at that spot against right-handed pitchers. Tim Tawa will retreat to the bench with Smith’s return.

Smith’s injury really came out of nowhere, and it’s particularly unfortunate timing for Arizona with Lourdes Gurriel Jr., Tyler Locklear and Adrian Del Castillo all on the IL. That left Tim Tawa to serve as the DH in Thursday’s game. Ideally, the Diamondbacks would replace Smith with a left-handed bat if he’s forced to the IL, but they don’t have any decent alternatives in the minors. Their best internal option is probably to add righty Luken Baker and shift Locklear to the 60-day IL.

The Diamondbacks do not believe the injury to be serious and he’s considered day-to-day. Tim Tawa will take his place in the lineup as the Diamondbacks’ designated hitter and will bat ninth while Carlos Santana moves up to sixth and Jordan Lawlar moves up to seventh.

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).

Smith delivered a one-out RBI single off of Bryan Woo in the fourth inning after Jorge Barrosa had reached on a leadoff double, giving the Diamondbacks an early 1-0 edge. Smith is having himself a strong spring, hitting .308 (8-for-26) with a pair of homers and four RBI.

Smith had an opportunity to do damage in the opening inning with runners at the corners and only one out, but he went down on strikes against Cubs’ right-hander Colin Rea. Smith atoned for that missed opportunity in the fourth, crushing a first-pitch fastball for a 399-foot (105.4 mph EV) solo shot to get the D’Backs on the board. He’s off to a strong start to the spring, hitting .300 (6-for-20) with a pair of long balls and three RBI.

Bob Nightengale of USA Today reports that Santana will make $2 million, and that the deal is pending a physical. Santana hit .219/.308/.325 with 11 homers and seven steals in his time with the Guardians and Cubs in 2025. The 39-year-old will see playing time assuredly, but could be part of a first base/DH platoon with Pavin Smith and Tyler Locklear.

Interest between the two teams was reported over the weekend, but it seems that the two sides are coming closer to an agreement. Santana hit just .219/.308/.325 with 11 homers, 54 RBI, and seven stolen bases in 474 plate appearances between the Guardians and Cubs in 2025. If this deal does come to fruition, he’ll be given a chance to battle Pavin Smith and Adrian Del Castillo for starting reps at either first base or designated hitter.

Smith sees a nice salary bump in his second season of arbitration eligibility, going from $1.5 million to $2.25. The versatile 29-year-old slashed .258/.362/.434 with eight homers, 28 RBI and a 92/41 K/BB ratio over 288 plate appearances with the Diamondbacks in 2025. Unless the Diamondbacks add a first baseman, Smith appears to be in line for a much larger role in 2026.