Blaze Alexander Makes Diamondbacks Opening Day Roster

The Diamondbacks infield prospect cracks the roster after hitting .400 with a 1.086 OPS this spring.

Arizona Diamondbacks Blaze Alexander (center) reacts after hitting a two-run home run against the Cleveland Guardians at Chase Field. / Rob Schumacher/The Republic / USA TODAY

The Diamondbacks have announced their Opening Day roster. One notable addition is infield prospect Blaze Alexander made the roster after hitting .400 with a 1.086 OPS, with a lot of loud contact and solid at-bats all spring. To make room for Alexander on the active roster, infielder Emmanuel Rivera has been designated for assignment. Additionally the team has traded right-hander Peter Strzelecki to the Cleveland Guardians for cash considerations.

Here is the D-backs Opening Day Roster, going by each position group:

Starting Pitchers (5): RHP Zac Gallen, RHP Merrill Kelly, RHP Brandon Pfaadt, RHP Ryne Nelson, LHP Tommy Henry

Manager Torey Lovullo revealed his starting rotation on Tuesday. The rotation will very much look different by the end of April, with the Eduardo Rodriguez injury situation and what they'll do with Jordan Montgomery. Montgomery's signing has not been made official yet by the club.

Bullpen (8): RHP Kevin Ginkel, RHP Ryan Thompson, LHP Joe Mantiply, RHP Scott McGough, LHP Kyle Nelson, RHP Miguel Castro, RHP Luis Frías, RHP Bryce Jarvis

Kevin Ginkel will be one of many relievers the team could turn to for the 9th inning. With their closer and leader out for a while, it will be imperative that many of these arms step up. Bryce Jarvis will be the long man early on, but it's unclear if they plan to keep him stretched out or if they'll begin to shorten his outings when the rotation stabilizes in 3-4 weeks.

Catchers (2): Gabriel Moreno, Tucker Barnhart

Tucker Barnhart beat out José Herrera for the backup job and was added to the 40-man roster on Monday. Moreno is expected to make 110-120 starts behind the plate this year, with Barnhart responsible for the others.

Infielders (6): 1B Christian Walker, 2B Ketel Marte, SS Geraldo Perdomo, 3B Eugenio Suárez, 2B/SS/3B Blaze Alexander, 3B/2B Jace Peterson

As mentioned above, Alexander cracked the Opening Day roster. It's the third time in four years that a rookie with zero service time made the D-backs roster, with Cooper Hummel and Perdomo being the other two. Alexander can play second, short, or third at a high level, giving the team plenty of coverage on the infield when they need to give their veterans a day off or start them at DH.

With Rivera being DFA'd the team is a bit thin at first base. Reigning Gold Glover Christian Walker is the primary starter, but for the 15-20 games he's off the field the team doesn't have a reliable option. There are a couple players on the roster with past experience at first base, but have never been featured there. Pavin Smith could find himself on the roster later in the year as the only true backup first baseman on the 40-man roster.

Outfielders (4): LF Lourdes Gurriel Jr., CF Alek Thomas, RF Corbin Carroll, Jake McCarthy

The D-backs will roll with four true outfielders on their roster. Gurriel, Thomas, and Carroll figure to start nearly everyday, but McCarthy's speed and ability to cover all three positions makes him a valuable guy to use off the bench. Once Grichuk is back, McCarthy is likely headed for Reno.

Designated Hitter (1): Joc Pederson

Pederson will be the team's primary DH against right-handed pitchers. Once Grichuk comes back, then he'll be the primary DH vs. left-handed pitchers and occasionally start in the outfield.

Injured List: OF/DH Randal Grichuk (10-day), LHP Eduardo Rodríguez (15-day), RHP Paul Sewald (15-day), RHP Drey Jameson (60-day)

All three IL placements are backdated to March 25th. For Grichuk (right ankle surgery), that means he could return as early as April 5th. Rodríguez (left lat strain) is first eligible to return on April 9th. Both players made significant progress in their rehab, as Grichuk will be on a rehab assignment with Triple-A Reno this weekend and Rodríguez has already begun his throwing program.

Sewald faces a lengthier absence, as he's dealing with a low Grade 2 strain of his left oblique. The typical recovery time for that type of injury is 6-8 weeks, meaning the D-backs will be without their closer until mid-May at the earliest. Jameson (Tommy John surgery) is unlikely to pitch for the D-backs in 2024.