Diamondbacks' Christian Walker: Returns in big way
Rotowire
Walker went 1-for-2 with a solo home run and a stolen base in Saturday's spring game against the Guardians.
This was Walker's first appearance since he was hit by a pitch on the hip Monday. He shook off the downtime early, launching a 1-0 pitch 430 feet to deep left field in the second inning. He walked and stole a base an inning later and nearly missed a second home run on his final at-bat in the fifth.
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Diamondbacks' Christian Walker: Back in action
Rotowire
Walker (hip) is starting at first base and batting cleanup Saturday against the Guardians.
He was removed from Monday's game after a hit-by-pitch and took a few days to get right, but the injury was apparently quite minor. Walker should be Arizona's everyday first baseman this season.
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Diamondbacks' Christian Walker: Scratched due to bruised hip
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Walker was scratched from the Diamondbacks' Cactus League lineup Thursday due to lingering left hip discomfort, Steve Gilbert of MLB.com reports.
Walker was struck by a pitch just above his left hip this past Monday and still has some bruising. It doesn't sound like anything that would threaten his readiness for Opening Day.
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Diamondbacks' Christian Walker: Back in lineup Wednesday
Rotowire
Walker (hip) is listed as the Diamondbacks' starting first baseman and cleanup hitter for Wednesday's split-squad Cactus League game against the Giants.
Walker was pulled early from Monday's game against the Rangers after being hit on the left hip by a pitch, but afterward, the team described his removal from the contest as precautionary. The fact that Walker is back in the lineup two days later seemingly supports that notion, and barring any further setbacks, he'll be on track to open the season in an everyday role coming off a career-best 2022 campaign in which he slugged 36 home runs and drove in 94 runs.
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Diamondbacks' Christian Walker: Tentative for Wednesday
Rotowire
Walker (hip) is penciled in to play in one of Arizona's two Cactus League games Wednesday, Theo Mackie of the Arizona Republic reports.
Walker, who was hit by a pitch on the hip Monday, did not play Tuesday. Diamondbacks manager Torey Lovullo said the injury is not serious and that he could opt to give the first baseman another day off.
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Diamondbacks' Christian Walker: Removed as precaution
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Walker left Monday's game against the Giants after being hit in the left leg by a fastball, Theo Mackie of The Arizona Republic reports.
Walker was able to remain in the contest immediately after being hit by the pitch, but he was later removed. After the exhibition, manager Torey Lovullo stated that had it been a regular-season game, Walker would've stayed in. He'll be considered day-to-day moving forward but isn't expected to miss any serious time.
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Diamondbacks' Christian Walker: Inks one-year deal
Rotowire
Walker signed a one-year, $6.5 million contract with Arizona on Friday to avoid arbitration, Nick Piecoro of The Arizona Republic reports.
Walker finished 2022 with career highs in home runs (36) and RBI (94), and he recorded his highest OPS since 2019. As a result, the veteran first baseman receives a well-deserved raise from the $2.6 million he made in 2022.
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Diamondbacks' Christian Walker: Three hits during victory
Rotowire
Walker went 3-for-4 with an RBI in Wednesday's 4-2 victory over the Brewers.
Walker opened the scoring in the fourth inning with an RBI single off lefty Aaron Ashby. The first baseman finished the season on a positive note, turning in a .367 average over 30 at-bats across his final seven games. The 31-year-old had a resurgent year with a .242/.327/.477 slash line, 36 home runs, 94 RBI and 84 runs in 160 contests.
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Diamondbacks' Christian Walker: Nabs rare steal
Rotowire
Walker went 2-for-5 with a stolen base in Sunday's 4-3 extra-inning loss to the Giants.
Walker was on the back end of a double-steal in the 10th inning, which earned him his second stolen base of the campaign. The first baseman isn't renowned for his speed, as he's produced just 12 stolen bases and five triples in his major-league career. He's been much better as a power bat this year, posting an .802 OPS, .240 batting average, 36 home runs, 93 RBI and 83 runs scored through 157 contests.
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Diamondbacks' Christian Walker: Three hits during win
Rotowire
Walker went 3-for-5 with a double, a triple, an RBI and two runs scored in Saturday's win over San Francisco.
Walker gave Arizona a 4-2 lead with an RBI double off lefty reliever Jarlin Garcia in the seventh inning in addition to a triple off righty starter Jakob Junis. The first baseman has recorded one hit or more in 13 of his last 16 games, tallying 14 RBI; however, the 31-year-old's strikeout percentage has been up, coming in at 29 percent during that span.
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Diamondbacks' Christian Walker: Knocks in three in win
Rotowire
Walker went 1-for-4 with three RBI in Wednesday's 5-2 extra-inning win over the Astros.
Walker delivered a run in the first inning on a sacrifice fly and followed with a two-out, two-run single in the 10th. The 31-year-old first baseman has a team-high and career-high 91 RBI through 154 games. Walker, who also leads the team with 36 home runs, resuscitated his career in 2022 after a couple of down seasons. He's still under team control for the next two years and is almost certain to return as the primary first baseman in 2023.
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Diamondbacks' Christian Walker: Slams 36th homer
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Walker went 1-for-4 with a solo home run in Thursday's loss to the Dodgers.
The game unfolded as a pitching duel between Julio Urias and Zac Gallen, but Walker looked to have stolen some of the spotlight with his go-ahead solo homer off Craig Kimbrel in the ninth inning. However, Los Angeles came back with a pair of runs in the bottom of the frame to pull out the victory. Walker's homer was his fourth over his past eight games and pushed him to 36 long balls on the season, tied for sixth-most in the league.
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Diamondbacks' Christian Walker: Accounts for offense in loss
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Walker went 2-for-4 with two home runs and three total RBI in Friday's 12-3 loss to the Padres.
Walker was the Diamondbacks' offense in this one, teeing up a solo shot in the fourth inning and a two-run blast in the ninth. He doubled his homer total for September to four and extended his career high to 34 long balls on the year. The first baseman has maintained a .235/.328/.480 slash line with 83 RBI, 76 runs scored, a stolen base and 21 doubles through 142 contests, with the impressive power helping to offset some of his overall batting struggles.
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Diamondbacks' Christian Walker: Not starting Wednesday
Rotowire
Walker isn't in the lineup Wednesday against the Padres.
Walker went 4-for-11 with a homer, three RBI, two runs, a walk and three strikeouts over the last three games but will get a rare day off Wednesday. Emmanuel Rivera is starting at first base and batting cleanup.
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Diamondbacks' Christian Walker: Smacks 32nd homer
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Walker went 2-for-4 with a solo home run in Tuesday's 6-5 loss to the Padres.
Walker's blast gave Arizona a 4-0 lead in the fifth inning. He continues to provide solid power with three homers and two doubles across his last 13 games, a span in which he's hitting .354 (17-for-48). The first baseman's surge has him up to a .237/.333/.485 slash line with 32 long balls, 79 RBI, 73 runs scored and 20 doubles through 133 games overall.
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Diamondbacks' Christian Walker: Provides insurance
Rotowire
Walker went 1-for-4 with two RBI in Monday's 5-0 win over San Diego.
Walker delivered a two-out, two-run single in the top of the eighth to give Arizona insurance. He's been on an RBI binge since the All-Star break, knocking in 31 runs over 42 games, tied for eighth in MLB in that span.
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Diamondbacks' Christian Walker: Doubles, scores in win
Rotowire
Walker went 1-for-3 with a double and a run scored in Friday's 2-1 win over the Brewers.
Walker's finally experiencing some good luck and has his average up to a season-high .237 following Friday's win. Despite being in the upper percentiles of hard-hit and barrel rate all season, the first baseman's sub-.200 BABIP kept his average low through the first half of the season. He's been more fortunate since the All-Star break, posting a .306 average while the BABIP has climbed to .231.
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Diamondbacks' Christian Walker: Begins September with homer
Rotowire
Walker went 2-for-3 with a two-run home run and a walk in a 5-0 win against the Brewers on Thursday.
Walker posted a .346/.417/.615 slash line with seven homers in August, and he carried that momentum over to the new month with his third straight multi-hit game. His first-inning, two-run homer was his first in seven games and gave him a new career high with 75 RBI. Walker is tied for sixth in the majors with 31 homers on the campaign.
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Diamondbacks' Christian Walker: Three hits, two runs in win
Rotowire
Walker went 3-for-4 with a double, a hit-by-pitch and two runs scored in Tuesday's 12-3 win over the Phillies.
Walker is swinging a hot bat in August, going 34-for-100 (.340) through 27 contests. Eight of those games have been multi-hit efforts, and he's added seven home runs, seven doubles, 21 RBI and 23 runs scored. The strong month has lifted his season slash line to a serviceable .231/.330/.478 with 30 homers, 73 RBI, 68 runs scored and 19 doubles through 126 contests overall.
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Diamondbacks' Christian Walker: Slams 30th homer
Rotowire
Walker went 2-for-4 with a solo home run in a loss to the Royals on Wednesday.
Walker's solo home run was no cheap shot, as he tagged Scott Barlow for a 456-foot blast to center field in the ninth inning. The long ball established a new career high for the veteran first baseman and gave him his first 30-homer campaign. Walker has gone 15-for-38 (.395 average) over his past 10 contests, and he is tied with Pete Alonso for fourth in the National League in home runs on the campaign.
