Diamondbacks Activate Lourdes Gurriel Jr, DFA Luis Guillorme

A breakdown of the Diamondbacks' roster moves on Friday and how the playing time might look going forward.

Aug 2, 2024; Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA; Arizona Diamondbacks left fielder Lourdes Gurriel Jr. (12) in the batting cage before a game against the Pittsburgh Pirates at PNC Park. Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images / Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images

The Arizona Diamondbacks have announced that outfielder Lourdes Gurriel Jr. has been reinstated from the 10-day injured list. Infielder Luis Guillorme has been designated for assignment as the corresponding move.

Gurriel has been out since September 2 with a strained left calf. The right-handed slugger was batting .274/.316/.428, .744 OPS, or 104 OPS+ at the time of the injury. He has 17 homers and 70 RBI. His defense is rated above average with +4 defensive runs saved, and he's been worth 1.7 Wins Above Replacement according to Baseball-reference.com.

Gurriel was in the middle of one of his patented hot streaks up until the injury. Over a 20 game span starting from August 8, he batted .338 with a .976 OPS, including three homers and 12 RBI and 16 runs scored.

In Gurriel's place, Pavin Smith and Randal Grichuk have gotten most of the playing time in left field and have performed exceptionally well. Grichuk is batting .417 with six homers, 15 RBI and a 1.475 OPS for the month of September. Smith is batting .375 with five homers, 16 RBI, and a 1.355 OPS over this same span.

The big question now will be how much Gurriel plays against right-hand pitching. With left-hand DH Joc Pederson getting most if not all of the DH opportunities against right-hand pitching, that closes off an avenue of plate appearances for the red hot Smith.

Gurriel will almost surely start against all left-hand pitchers. So how the split against right-hand starter shakes out is something to keep an eye on. Grichuk will likely remain as the primary DH against left-hand pitching and a pinch hitter off the bench. The team could reverse that initially however, to ease Gurriel back under a "return to play" protocol.

Guillorme was picked up as a free agent on August 20 after being released the Angels on August 18. Known as a defensive specialist, Guillorme helped fill in at second base while Ketel Marte was on the injured list with a high ankle sprain. He immediately made an impact with steady and oftentimes spectacular highlight reel plays.

Hitting has never been his strong suit, and he batted just .162 in 37 at-bats. He drew 11 walks and posted a .347 OBP however, providing some offensive utility to go along with his defense.

Ultimately however the decision came down to either Guillorme, or likely Josh Bell as the player to be designated. While the team is a bit thin on the infield now, with only Newman able to back up 2B-3B-SS, the team has players in Triple-A, such as Blaze Alexander, that could be called up if the need arises. Bell's switch-hitting slug off the bench is much harder to replace for the team.