PHOENIX, AZ: Blaze Alexander, an infielder, has been called up by the Diamondbacks from Triple-A Reno. In a matching transaction, outfielder Alek Thomas has been optioned to Reno, going the other way. Nick Piecoro of the Arizona Republic was among several who reported on X, prior to the official announcement, that Alexander was in the clubhouse while Thomas's locker was being cleaned out.
Thomas, 24, was last optioned in May 2023, thus this is his first sentencing to the minors in more than a year. Due to his potential to contribute all around, he was regarded as one of baseball's top prospects a few years ago. Although he has occasionally displayed considerable speed and great defense, his bat has been lackluster at the plate.
Thomas has now faced the plate 915 times in major league baseball since making his debut in 2022. His hitting line of .226/.271/.359 converts to a wRC+ of 71, meaning he has been 29% below league average overall. He has 20 home runs in that span, but his 5.2% walk rate is a little below average. Here in 2024, that translates to a .191/.248/.362 line and 67 wRC+.
Although he is still relatively young and has some time to develop as a batter, the Diamondbacks need to start with best team on the field if they want to win right now.They are currently tied for the first National League Wild Card berth, 68-53, with the Padres. In the West division, both teams are only 3.5 games behind the Dodgers.
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