The Arizona Diamondbacks were optimistic about having Eugenio Suarez as their everyday third baseman in 2024. That seems to be extinguished after the D-backs inserted rookie Blaze Alexander into the lineup on Wednesday, with manager Torey Lovullo citing that Suarez will be out of the lineup for the next few days, per Bob Nightengale.
The Diamondbacks acquired Suarez in a trade with the Seattle Mariners last November. He appeared in all 162 games for Seattle last year, recording a .232 batting average with 22 home runs, 29 doubles and 96 RBIs. He led the American League in strikeouts for the second consecutive season with 214.
Things have gotten worse for Suarez since he joined the D-backs. The 32-year-old is hitting below .200 and his .575 OPS is the third-worst among qualified hitters.
Arizona hasn’t fully given up on Suarez, but Alexander has earned more playing time at the hot corner. An 11th-round pick in 2018, Alexander played mostly shortstop in the minors but also spent time at second and third base.
He broke camp with the Diamondbacks and has done well as a utility infielder. Alexander has a .273 batting average and 10 extra-base hits. His average rose to .300 earlier this month after he collected 10 hits across his first five June games.
Although he's hitless in his last four games (12 at-bats), Arizona will likely stick with Alexander in the batting order to see how he handles everyday work and to give Suarez a reset.
D-backs not shopping Suarez despite trade rumors
Earlier this week Bob Nightengale reported that the Diamondbacks are “willing to listen” to trade offers involving Eugenio Suarez. Arizona general manager Mike Hazen shut that down on Wednesday while appearing on Arizona Sports’ Wolf & Luke Show.
“Sometimes (trade rumors) just come out of the blue, and like, man, where does this stuff come from sometimes?” Hazen said. “But it happens. You’re absolutely right. It becomes a tricky little situation. Look, I try to be honest with the (players). If there’s something to that and somebody ever came and asked me I’d be honest with them. That’s not the case in this situation.”
Following his lone All-Star appearance in 2018 and a career year in 2019, Suarez has a .218 batting average since the start of the 2020 season.
Suarez has a $15 million option for 2025, one that the Diamondbacks probably won’t exercise if his numbers don’t improve. Perhaps a few days on the bench will reinvigorate Suarez and spark a resurgence in his swing. If not, his days with Arizona may be numbered.
Arizona's pitching woes continue
As they look for a spark on offense behind surefire All-Star Ketel Marte, the Diamondbacks desperately need improvement from their starting rotation. Amid the injuries to top starters Zac Gallen and Merrill Kelly, Arizona's starters have been awful.
Diamondbacks starting pitchers have a combined 4.91 ERA this season, the fourth-worst in the league. Only the Chicago White Sox and Colorado Rockies – who combined have a .299 winning percentage – have allowed more earned runs than the D-backs.
The Jordan Montgomery signing has not panned out for Arizona and several young arms, highlighted by 2023 postseason breakout Brandon Pfaadt, haven’t lived up to their potential.
The state of the National League is keeping the Diamondbacks in the playoff hunt. Five NL teams have a winning record entering Thursday's slate and eight teams are separated by three games in the wild card standings.
The Diamondbacks are at the bottom of that group, a game and a half out of a playoff spot. One hot week can vault Arizona into playoff contention but there's a chance things go down to the wire as they did last season. Despite losing their last four regular-season games, the D-backs clinched a playoff berth on the second to last day before making a surprise run to the World Series.
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