The Arizona Diamondbacks will be without their top prospect, Jordan Lawlar, for at least two months after the shortstop tore a ligament in his right thumb and will require surgery.
Nick Piecoro of AZCentral.com reports that Lawlar’s surgery is scheduled for Thursday.
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According to Diamondbacks farm director Shaun Larkin, Lawlar’s injury happened on Sunday when he jammed his thumb while trying to pick up a ball off the ground during a minor league spring training game. Larkin told Piecoro he expects Lawlar to have a “full return to baseball activity in eight to 10 weeks.”
“We’re expecting a full recovery,” Larkin said. “He’ll be ready to go when the time is right and we expect good things from him once he’s back.”
Larkin detailed the play for reporters, saying when a ground ball kicked off Lawlar’s glove, Lawlar reached down with his throwing hand. That’s when the injury occurred.
“It was more of a recovery play,” Larkin said. “He went to pick up the ball off the ground and his thumb jammed into the ground, bent it back and that was it.”
Lawlar was sent for imaging and the tests revealed a ruptured UCL ligament in his his right thumb. The injury adds to his already lengthy injury history. The first came two games into his professional career when he tore the labrum in his left shoulder on a swing. In 2022, Lawlar missed three weeks with an abnormal rib growth that caused him back pain and then later fractured his scapula while playing in the Arizona Fall League.
Lawlar had already been optioned to Triple-A when the injury happened and was expected to start the year there. With his injury sidelining him for at least a couple months, the Diamondbacks will have to call on someone else if they need a shortstop. Lawlar won’t be available for a call-up until midseason.
However, it isn’t the worst-case scenario. Lawlar struggled mightily in eight games this spring, slashing .176/.333/.412 with a double and a home run in 17 at-bats. He scored three runs and drove in two while walking three times and striking out six times.
Lawlar made his major league debut last season after being drafted No. 6 overall in 2021. He batted .129 with four hits, two runs scored, two walks, one stolen base, and 11 strikeouts.
The D-backs will also be without another prospect, Kristian Robinson, who sprained his right shoulder joint when he crashed into a wall March 16 before the Spring Breakout game.
“He’s close to getting back,” Larkin said of Robinson. “He’s getting better day by day.”
Uncommon Knowledge
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