Diamondbacks' Alek Thomas: Logs hit in spring opener
Rotowire
Thomas started in center field and went 1-for-3 with a run scored in Friday's spring game against Colorado.
Thomas singled and scored as part of a three-run third inning. He's competing for an outfield job with Jake McCarthy, who started in right field Friday. Thomas is the better defender, but the winner of the battle likely hinges on his contact this spring. Thomas smoked the single (106.4 mph) while the outs made were harmless groundballs without much exit velocity.
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Diamondbacks' Alek Thomas: Makes pre-swing adjustments
Rotowire
Diamondbacks hitting coach Joe Mather said Friday that Thomas worked on his pre-swing activity during the offseason, Alex Weiner of Arizona Sports reports.
Specifically, Thomas' adjustments included a slightly lower leg kick along with being more consistent with his stride and direction. He feels the cleaner mechanics will result in hard line drives with gap-to-gap power. Thomas hit the ball with authority last season but mostly on the ground (60.8 groundball percentage). The outfielder, who is healthy entering spring training after missing significant time in 2024, begins camp as the No. 2 center fielder and will compete with Jake McCarthy for the starting job.
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Diamondbacks' Alek Thomas: Part of camp battle
Rotowire
Thomas enters spring training listed second on Arizona's depth chart in center field.
Jake McCarthy, who was in Thomas' shoes at the start of camp in 2024, is listed as the starting center fielder and deserves to be. Thomas suffered through an injury marred season and barely hit when healthy (.603 OPS). Meanwhile, McCarthy was a competent fill-in during the first half and eventually exploded in July/August (.878 OPS). The Diamondbacks don't lose much in the way of defense with McCarthy -- though Thomas is clearly the best outfield defender on the team -- and the former's bat has been an asset in addition to his work on the basepaths (74 steals from 2022 to 2024). Thomas hit the ball hard last year, but a lot of it was on the ground. If the 24-year-old shows improvement at the plate during spring training, that could force a decision for manager Torey Lovullo.
The Diamondbacks recalled Thomas from Triple-A Reno on Thursday, Alex Weiner of ArizonaSports.com reports.
Thomas was optioned to Triple-A in the middle of August, but landed on the 7-day injured list due to a right oblique strain a few days after. He was reinstated from the injured list Sept. 18 after missing a month of action. With his return to the big club, Yilber Diaz and Blake Walston were optioned to Triple-A Reno as part of a corresponding move.
Diamondbacks' Alek Thomas: Back in action at Triple-A
Rotowire
Triple-A Reno reinstated Thomas (oblique) from its 7-day injured list Tuesday.
Thomas returned to the lineup for Reno's 9-2 win over Albuquerque, starting in center field while going 2-for-4 with a double and two runs. The 24-year-old had missed the past month with a right oblique strain.
