The Arizona Diamondbacks have been rolling in August. But on any baseball team, there's always someone who's slumping.
The D-backs offense has crushed the baseball for weeks, with Ketel Marte, Joc Pederson, and Corbin Carroll, among others, leading the charge. But one outfielder has been struggling mightily with the bat, and in a surprise move on Wednesday, he found himself facing demotion.
Alek Thomas was a top outfield prospect for the Diamondbacks two years ago. Last year, he was hitting clutch home runs in the playoffs as Arizona made its surprise run to the World Series. But in 2024, he finds himself heading back to the minors.
In a move announced on X Wednesday afternoon, the Diamondbacks optioned Thomas to Triple-A Reno following Tuesday night's game against the Colorado Rockies. Infielder Blaze Alexander, who has played in 58 games this season, was recalled to join the MLB roster.
It just hasn't clicked offensively for Thomas this season, as the 24-year-old currently sports a .191 season average and .609 OPS. He has also been limited to 37 games this season, missing three months with a hamstring strain.
Alexander, 25, has a .688 OPS/94 OPS+ at the big-league level while playing all over the diamond this season. He last played in the majors on June 30, and was optioned to Triple-A on July 2, when Thomas initially returned from the hamstring injury.
In large part, Thomas became expendable due to the burgeoning success of fellow outfielder Jake McCarthy. The 27-year-old, who began the season in a bench role, has hit .405 with a .662 slugging percentage in his last 20 games, making him an indispensable piece of the lineup.
Still young, and with enticing speed and ball-hawking skills in center field, Thomas is clearly a piece of the D-backs' puzzle moving forward. But he'll need to find his bat in Triple-A, because this team is in an obvious championship window. They can't afford to wait around for him.
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