Nick Piecoro of the Arizona Republic reported that infielder Jordan Lawlar could miss up to ten weeks of the 2024 Major League Baseball season after a right thumb injury that required surgery. He broke a ligament on his thumb when he tried to pick up a ball with his hand.
Lawlar homered 20 times in 100 minor league games before joining the Arizona Diamondbacks’ Major League Baseball roster in 2023. However, he only had four hits out of 31 at-bats with 11 strikeouts in 14 games for Arizona last season.
While he has struggled hitting the ball, he has the makings of an impressive defensive shortstop who could help the Diamondbacks. If not for the injury, he would have started the season in Triple-A due to a strong performance by MLB All-Star Geraldo Perdomo.
But if Perdomo struggled like he did from May 2023 onwards, Lawlar could have a shot at becoming the team’s starting shortstop. That scenario depends if Lawlar has returned to full health at that time.
After drafting him sixth overall in the 2021 June Amateur Draft, the Diamondbacks assigned him to their rookie-level Arizona Complex League Team. In 2022, he played for the Texas League’s Amarillo Sod Poodles, the Northwest League’s Hillsboro Hops, and the California League’s Visalia Rawhide before returning to the ACL Diamondbacks. Lawlar also played 11 games for the Arizona Fall League’s Salt River Rafters that year.
Before making his MLB debut, he played a combined 105 games for the Triple-A Reno Aces and the Double-A Sod Poodles.
-Lance Fernandez