Diamondbacks Camp Notes From Hazen and Lovullo

A detailed recap of a busy day in D-backs camp from Mike Hazen and Torey Lovullo

Oct 15, 2022; Phoenix, AZ, USA; Salt River Rafters infielder Jordan Lawlar (1) stands at bat against the Surprise Saguaros at Chase Field. Mlb Dbacks Fall League Prospects / Alex Gould/The Republic / USA TODAY NETWORK

Tuesday was a busy day in the Arizona Diamondbacks' spring training camp. The announcement of Geraldo Perdomo's extension with the club headlined the days news, but in multiple interviews with D-backs GM Mike Hazen and manager Torey Lovullo there was plenty more important news that was revealed.

Jordan Lawlar

An obious place to start given the most recent news of Geraldo Perdomo's long-term future with the club is Jordan Lawlar. The Diamondbacks' highest ranked prospect and one of the best prospects in all of baseball, the young shortstop has an interesting path to the big leagues.

While the shortstop position is filled for Arizona, there are still many routes the 22 year old top prospect can take to make the big leagues. After making his MLB debut in 2023 during a late September playoff push, Lawlar faced numerous injuries that sidelined him for nearly all of 2024.

While he excelled in the games he did appear in, with a .900 OPS across 23 games last year, there have been some doubts cast upon his potential ability to translate his incredible hitting ability to a major league level.

Hazen and Lovullo are certainly not in that camp. "Jordan Lawlar's time will come. Jordan Lawlar's going to arrive when he's going to arrive. When he does, it's going to be a really good problem because he's an excellent baseball player"

"Jordan missed time last year. We've got to make up for that. We've got to make sure that he's getting pushed in the right direction and growing and learning. And he'll tell us when it's the time. He's a special talent. He'll find his way to the big leagues." Lovullo told media including Diamondbacks ON SI's Jack Sommers.

"When Jordan Lawlar's ready to be on this team, Jordan Lawlar will be on the team," said Mike Hazen, sharing a similar sentiment to the team's manager. The positional logjam looks intimidating for now, but things could clear up soon. Eugenio Suarez is a free agent after 2024, allowing for a potential infield opening in a corner spot.

Hazen was asked about the potential of more time at third base, and about strikeout concerns. "I'm sure thats part of whats going to go into it. I think his overall development on a baseball field in terms of getting the at bats that were missed last year is important. Getting more experience, and changing positions at times." he responded.

"He's going to play some shortstop and play other positions too. Nothing has changed as far as Lawlar is concerned. When he is ready to come up and help us he will be up" said the Diamondbacks GM.

Jordan Montgomery

It was revealed early in camp that while Jordan Montgomery reported in great physical shape, that he was dealing with a finger issue which had been bothering him. This has since delayed his throwing program further to the point where he still has not been able to join the rest of the teams pitchers.

Still, there was some good news shared on Tuesday as Torey Lovullo revealed that the left-hander would be preparing a game plan very shortly. "Jordan, it looks like he's going to play [catch Wednesday], and he's going see Dr. Sheridan [Wednesday] morning and then come up with the game plan following that." Dr. Donald Sheridan is the team's preferred hand surgeon.

Montgomery will be vying for the Diamondbacks' fifth starter role. While there is still no guarantee he will break camp on the team's roster, his salary, and experience make him an obvious candidate for the spot. In desperate need of a bounceback following a career-worst season in 2024, he is certainly hoping for a shot at redemption in 2025.

"Dr. Sheridan, the best hand doctor from my standpoint in the country, is going to re-examine [Montgomery] tomorrow. We just want to get signed off by him. Once he gets signed off, Jordan's been doing everything behind the scenes to step right into the arena of competition." said Lovullo.

"That'll be a throwing program. The throwing program has already been devised, and arranged. I've seen it. We just have to get signed off by the doctor. There's going to be no more damage. Just get clearance. Once he gets clearance, we've got a good program for him."

Gino Groover

The former 2nd round draft pick by the Diamondbacks gave everyone quite a scare when he collapsed during practice. Players quickly called a trainers attention and things went well, with Groover walking around shortly thereafter.

Manager Torey Lovullo gave an update on the young third baseman on Tuesday, saying "There's still a little bit of an upset stomach. He came in this morning, he was evaluated, and we sent him back home."

"Potentially food poisoning," Lovullo said on Groover's status," and then you're concerned about other things that could follow along with food poisoning. So we got him back home and he's resting. But in my short conversation with him this morning, he said that he felt a lot better when he got home and was moving around yesterday, and we're hoping that trend continues."

The 22-year-old's health is the top priority as he enters his third professional season. We will continue to monitor and update as the situation continues to develop.

Corbin Burnes

Corbin Burnes will start the Diamondbacks' first game of the year on Friday against the Colorado Rockies. Arizona's new $210 million dollar man was the club's big prize this off-season and will completely change the dynamic of the team's pitching rotation.

"Corbin Burns will start the first day. He wants to throw game one, inning one. That's what he's traditionally done, and we'll have some guys in back of them." said the D-backs manager.

When asked if Burnes pushed for this decision, Lovullo responded "No. I think he just made mention of it to [Brian Kaplan], and it was an easy plug and play. As soon as he tells you that that's what he's done, we're going to find our way to get that done."

While Burnes will be leading the way this spring, Lovullo is still undecided on who will open the regular season for the Diamondbacks. Zac Gallen who started opening day for the club in consecutive seasons from 2023 to 2024 is the obvious secondary candidate, while Burnes has started in three consecutive opening days for the Brewers and Orioles.