Alek Thomas - Page 11 - MLB News, Rumors, & Updates

Locked into regular role Thomas will start in center field and bat ninth in Sunday's game against the Angels.

Impact Even with the Diamondbacks facing off against a southpaw (Reid Detmers) in the series finale, the lefty-hitting Thomas will return to the lineup after sitting out Saturday's 3-1 win. Thomas has now started in 11 of the Diamondbacks' last 13 games overall and appears to have re-established himself as a near-everyday player in the Arizona outfield following the recent demotion of Pavin Smith to Triple-A Reno.

JULY 2, 2023 • ROTOWIRE

Multi-hit effort in win Thomas went 3-for-4 with a double, a stolen base and a run scored in Sunday's 5-2 win over San Francisco.

Impact Thomas rejoined the starting lineup after getting Saturday off and logged a third multi-hit effort in the seven games since being called up from Triple-A Reno. The outfielder is 10-for-25 (.400) with a home run, three doubles, three RBI and six runs scored since returning to the majors. Of note, he's had just one at-bat against a left-hander during this recent run, and it was his futility against southpaws (1-for-36) that was the primary reason he was demoted to the minors in May.

JUNE 26, 2023 • ROTOWIRE

Receives Saturday off Thomas isn't in Arizona's lineup Saturday against the Giants.

Impact After going 7-for-21 with a homer, three RBI and five runs scored across his last five games, Thomas will get a breather Saturday. His absence moves Corbin Carroll into center field, Lourdes Gurriel in left and allows Pavin Smith to serve as the D-backs' DH while batting sixth.

JUNE 24, 2023 • ROTOWIRE

Puts exclamation point on return Thomas went 3-for-5 with a double, an RBI and a run scored in Wednesday's 5-1 win over the Brewers.

Impact Thomas, who was called up from Triple-A Reno on Monday, returned to MLB in a big way. He went 6-for-13 with a double, homer, three RBI and four runs scored over the three-game series in Milwaukee. As good as Thomas was during the series, including superlative defense in center field, it remains to be seen if he's solved the issue of hitting against left-handed pitching. Thomas had one at-bat against a southpaw during the series -- a fielder's choice grounder to second base against Milwaukee's Hoby Milner -- but the overall results were hopeful that the 23-year-old outfielder will continue to do in the majors what he did in the minors the last month (.348/.409/.518).

JUNE 22, 2023 • ROTOWIRE

Big game in return Thomas went 2-for-4 with a two-run home run and an additional run in a 9-1 win against the Brewers on Monday.

Impact Thomas spent over a month in the minors before he was recalled Monday, and the adjustments he made while with Triple-A Reno appeared to have paid off, at least for one game. The outfielder wasted little time announcing his return, smacking a two-run shot off Corbin Burnes in the first inning. If Thomas continues to hit well, he could challenge Pavin Smith -- who has posted a mediocre .674 OPS on the season -- for playing time in right field moving forward.

JUNE 20, 2023 • ROTOWIRE

Thomas' swing sure is sweet after some seasoning MILWAUKEE -- Maybe Alek Thomas was too modest when asked how he felt at the plate recently while playing in Triple-A. “We were playing in Ve...

JUNE 20, 2023 • MLB.COM

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JUNE 20, 2023 • FOX SPORTS

Back in big leagues Thomas was recalled from Triple-A Reno on Monday.

Impact Thomas ditched his leg kick after being sent down to Reno a month ago and batted .348/.409/.518 with three home runs and two stolen bases over 26 games to earn another shot in the majors. Granted, it's a very favorable environment he was hitting in, but it will be interesting to see whether Thomas can carry over the adjustments at the major-league level. He could push Pavin Smith for playing time.

JUNE 19, 2023 • ROTOWIRE

Work on swing paying off Thomas adjusted his swing in the minors and is batting .349/.413/.500 over 25 games at Triple-A Reno, Theo Mackie of the Arizona Republic reports.

Impact Thomas, who opened the season in the Diamondbacks' outfield, was demoted to Triple-A on May 17. His struggles against left-handers -- 1-for-36 with a single -- was the main reason Thomas was sent down. He immediately got to work on his swing mechanics with Drew Hedman, the organization's director of minor league hitting coach. They started by ditching a leg kick, but Hedman and Thomas eventually settled on improving the timing of his weight transfer, which seems to have worked against pitchers of either hand. Thomas is slashing .314/.324/.429 against southpaws.

JUNE 17, 2023 • ROTOWIRE

Work needed in minors The Diamondbacks will work on fixing Thomas' swing while he's in the minors, Theo Mackie of the Arizona Republic reports. Thomas was demoted to Triple-A Reno on Wednesday.

Impact Specifically, the organization is focused on excessive movement in the lower half of his body, which can lead to groundballs rolled over to the right side of the infield. There's also been an issue identifying strikes on outer half of the plate. "There's a lot of excessive movement with the lower half which is creating some force moving forward, I know to impact the baseball but I feel like it was changing his sightlines," manager Torey Lovullo said. In addition to work at the plate, Lovullo identified areas in the field that Thomas needs to address, like routes taken on batted balls and taking the proper angle. Dominic Fletcher will take over in the outfield while Thomas works at Reno.

MAY 18, 2023 • ROTOWIRE

Optioned to Triple-A Thomas was optioned to Triple-A Reno by the Diamondbacks on Wednesday.

Impact The writing seemed to be on the wall with Thomas losing playing time against right-handers lately. The 23-year-old could use a reset, as he's managed just a .195/.252/.327 batting line with two home runs in his first 39 games this season. Dominic Fletcher has taken over as Arizona's center fielder.

MAY 17, 2023 • ROTOWIRE

Sitting against southpaw Thomas is out of the starting lineup against the Marlins on Sunday.

Impact Thomas is not expected to see playing time against left-handers for the foreseeable future, and he's not in the lineup against southpaw Braxton Garrett on Sunday. Dominic Fletcher is getting the start in center field and hitting seventh against Garrett and Miami.

MAY 14, 2023 • ROTOWIRE

Losing at-bats Thomas will start against right-handers and be out of the lineup against lefties going forward, Theo Mackie of the Arizona Republic reports.

Impact This is an alteration the Diamondbacks began making a week ago, but it was uncertain how long it would last. Thomas is a prized prospect in the organization but is struggling with pitches on the outer half of the plate. And now he must contend with the suddenly hot Dominic Fletcher, an under-the-radar prospect who was called up to help fill in when Corbin Carroll injured his knee two weeks. Carroll is back and Fletcher is in the midst of a career-enhancing series against the Giants, going 8-for-12 with a double, a triple, two home runs and 11 RBI.

MAY 14, 2023 • ROTOWIRE

Returns to starting lineup Thomas started in center field and went 0-for-2 with an RBI in Wednesday's 5-4 loss to the Marlins.

Impact Thomas made his first start since Saturday, a stretch that included one righty and two lefties. He was eventually removed for a pinch hitter in the sixth inning against lefty reliever Tanner Scott. The outfielder's is 1-for-33 (.030) against southpaws, and it appears to be costing him at-bats. His underlying numbers suggest bad luck, but he's noticed pitchers are attacking a weakness, balls on the outside part of the plate, per Theo Mackie of the Arizona Republic. "That's all they're doing is painting away, painting away," Thomas said. "It's probably a good idea. If they bring it somewhere in the zone, I feel like I'll be able to hit it." Thomas is slashing .196/.259/.333 over 112 plate appearances.

MAY 11, 2023 • ROTOWIRE

Out of lineup versus lefty Thomas remains out of the lineup Tuesday against the Marlins.

Impact Thomas hasn't appeared in the Diamondbacks' starting lineup since Saturday and he will take a seat again Tuesday with left-hander Jesus Luzardo toeing the slab for Miami. Thomas has tallied only one hit -- a single -- in 34 plate appearances this year versus southpaws.

MAY 9, 2023 • ROTOWIRE

Absent from lineup again Thomas is not in the Diamondbacks' lineup for Monday's game versus the Marlins.

Impact It's the second straight game on the bench for Thomas, with one of them coming against a righty and now this one versus a lefty. Corbin Carroll will play center field and Dominic Fletcher will be in left.

MAY 8, 2023 • ROTOWIRE

Not in Sunday's lineup Thomas is out of the lineup for Sunday's game versus the Nationals.

Impact Thomas started the past 16 games and will receive Sunday off after he posted a .592 OPS and 33.3 percent strikeout rate during that stretch. Dominic Fletcher will take over in center field and bat seventh.

MAY 7, 2023 • ROTOWIRE

Steals base in loss Thomas went 0-for-5 with a stolen base in Wednesday's 12-7 loss to the Rangers.

Impact Thomas stole a bag during Arizona's five-run seventh inning, his third theft in four attempts over 29 games. It's been rough going for the second-year outfielder, whose average dipped to .176. For those employing Thomas in fantasy lineups, the silver lining is that his expected average (.253) indicates bad luck, backed up by a .209 BABIP.

MAY 4, 2023 • ROTOWIRE

Homers in loss Thomas went 1-for-4 with a solo home run in Sunday's 7-5 loss to the Padres.

Impact Thomas belted the second of back-to-back home runs in the seventh inning, giving him two for the season. The results are not there early on for Thomas, who is batting .188 with a .200 BABIP, despite Statcast indicating an expected average of .291.

APRIL 24, 2023 • ROTOWIRE

Goes deep in loss Thomas went 1-for-4 with a two-run home run in Wednesday's 14-5 loss to the Cardinals.

Impact Thomas helped erase an early 3-0 deficit with a second-inning homer, his first of the season. The young outfielder has hit safely in just five of 15 starts and is batting .176 through 17 appearances overall. The Diamondbacks appeared this spring to be committed to Thomas, who played 113 games in the majors last season, but his role could diminish given the promising start of Pavin Smith, another lefty batter, who is hitting .381 start since being called up from Triple-A Reno. It helps Thomas that Jake McCarthy (.154) is also underwhelming, and the latter could be first in line to lose a prominent role in the outfield.

APRIL 20, 2023 • ROTOWIRE

Added to lineup Tuesday Thomas was added to the starting lineup Tuesday against the Cardinals.

Impact Thomas will start in center field and bat ninth versus the Cardinals and left-hander Jordan Montgomery. He's taking the place of Corbin Carroll, who has been scratched.

APRIL 18, 2023 • ROTOWIRE

Sitting against lefty Thomas is not in the lineup Tuesday at St. Louis.

Impact Corbin Carroll is in center field and batting sixth with left-hander Jordan Montgomery on the mound for the host Cardinals. Jake McCarthy will cover right field and hit ninth. Thomas has slashed just .186/.271/.279 through 48 total plate appearances on the year.

APRIL 18, 2023 • ROTOWIRE

Sitting against lefty Thomas is not in the lineup Saturday against the Marlins.

Impact Lourdes Gurriel will start in left field, Corbin Carroll will cover center and Jake McCarthy is in right with left-hander Braxton Garrett on the mound for Miami. Thomas has slashed just .184/.262/.289 with zero homers and two stolen bases through 13 games this season.

APRIL 15, 2023 • ROTOWIRE

Busting out Thomas went 1-for-5 with an RBI, a run scored and a stolen base in Sunday's 11-6 win over the Dodgers.

Impact Thomas, who went hitless in his first 16 at-bats, had a nice weekend against Los Angeles, going 5-for-9 with a triple, two RBI, three runs scored and his second steal of the season. The outfielder had been the victim of bad luck (.217 BABIP) and ranks in the 97th percentile in average exit velocity (95.6 MPH). As such, a breakout was expected for Thomas, who's batting .200 with an expected average of .342.

APRIL 10, 2023 • ROTOWIRE

Sitting out Monday Thomas is not in the Diamondbacks' lineup for Monday's game in San Diego.

Impact Thomas has now been on the bench for two of his team's three games versus left-handers so far this season. He's also hitless in nine plate appearances, which isn't helping his bid for playing time. Corbin Carroll will slide over to center field Monday, with Lourdes Gurriel playing left and Kyle Lewis being used in the designated hitter spot.

APRIL 3, 2023 • ROTOWIRE

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