Torey Lovullo Benches Eugenio Suarez in Favor of Blaze Alexander

The Diamondbacks' manager made clear that for the immediate future, Alexander will get the bulk of the playing time at third base.

Jun 6, 2024; San Diego, California, USA; Arizona Diamondbacks third baseman Eugenio Suarez (28) throws San Diego Padres left fielder Jurickson Profar (10) out at first base during the fifth inning at Petco Park. Mandatory Credit: Denis Poroy-USA TODAY Sports at Petco Park. / Denis Poroy-USA TODAY Sports

When the Arizona Diamondbacks' lineup was posted today on X, it was notable that Blaze Alexander was in at third base and Eugenio Suarez was not.

During today's pre game press conference, manager Torey Lovullo confirmed that third baseman Eugenio Suarez will see a playing time cut, making this effectively a benching, and Blaze Alexander will be the primary recipient of that playing time.

His initial comments were more about getting more time for Alexander, but when pressed, Lovullo was fairly straightforward in his comments with regards to Suarez' benching.

"[Suarez] is getting a day off because I wanted to get a look at Blaze and see what he could do over there. I'm very curious about Blaze. Offensively he's been playing at a very high level. The defense has been improving rapidly. So I felt like it was just time to give him a few more opportunities, a few more reps."

"What does that look like, is it six [games] and one, five and two, four and three, I don't know that answer. I'll piece it together the best way that I can knowing that both players are going to get some opportunities at third base."

Pressed on whether this was day number one of a change, Lovullo confirmed that it was. "Correct, this is day number one of a little bit of a change... I have a very young player sitting on the other side that I'm really curious about and I want to give a few looks to."

Suarez has struggled all season, and through 66 games, 262 PA he's batting .197/.263/.312, .575 OPS with just five homers and 30 RBI. Brought over in a trade with the Seattle Mariners during the off season, Suarez is earning $11.3 million this year and there is an option for $15 million with a $2 million buyout.

Lovullo had already begun removing Suarez for a pinch-hitter from time to time, and gave him a few days off here and there. He's taken it in stride, and has continued to do so. "He gets it, he's going to continue plowing away, he's going to continue doing his job."

The rookie Alexander meanwhile is batting .279/.345/.403, .748 OPS with three homers and 19 RBI in 142 plate appearances. He struggled early in the season on defense at shortstop, but over the last month or so has played much better, splitting time between second, third and shortstop, as well as DH.

It should be noted that the underlying expected stats for Alexander do not match his results. According to Baseball Savant's Statcast metrics based on batted ball quality plus walks and strikeouts, Alexander's slash line should be .218/.290/.321

If Alexander does not continue to get good results at the plate, it's possible the team could turn to Jordan Lawlar. Currently playing shortstop for Triple-A Reno Aces, Lawlar could also be an option at third base going forward. In fact, the top ranked prospect in the system is blocked by Geraldo Perdomo at shortstop.

Suarez will likely continue to get some starts in the coming days, just not as many. He will need to play his way back into playing time. The more likely result ultimately, based on his age and decline, is that the team ends up moving on from the veteran, and this is day one of that process.