53 Christian Walker 1B

Walker batted fifth in one of the final Cactus League games before MLB was suspended, Nick Piecoro of the Arizona Republic reports.

The lineup manager Torey Lovullo fielded Mar. 9 against the Royals looked like an Opening Day batting order. That lineup had the right-handed hitting Walker fifth behind lefty David Peralta and ahead of lefty Kole Calhoun. Lovullo may tweak the order so that he can alternate right-handed and left-handed batters, but Walker should be comfortable in the five hole. That's where he had his most plate appearances in 2019, when he took command of the first base job and swatted 29 home runs. The man he replaced at first base, Jake Lamb, had a good spring, but the job belongs to Walker right now and will be his whenever MLB opens its doors for the regular season.

Walker went 1-for-1 with a double and a walk in Wednesday's game against the Athletics.

Walker was slowed by general body soreness early in camp before making his spring debut Wednesday. The right-handed batting first baseman should be in the lineup daily after appearing in 152 games last season.

Walker (upper body) will start at first base and bat fifth in Wednesday's Cactus League game against the Athletics.

As anticipated, Walker will make his spring debut after he had been limited to begin camp due to general body soreness. With Opening Day still a month away, Walker has plenty of time to pick up the at-bats he needs to guarantee he avoids the injured list to begin the season.

Walker (soreness) is expected to play Wednesday, Steve Gilbert of MLB.com reports.

Walker has been slowed by what manager Torey Lovulllo called "general body soreness," but the first baseman is expected to make his spring debut Wednesday against the Athletics. This spring is much different for Walker, whose performance in 2019 has all but locked up the starting first base job. Where previous springs were about making an impression, this year Walker's just trying to get himself ready for Opening Day.

Walker is making a slow start to spring training due to general body soreness, Steve Gilbert of MLB.com reports.

Manager Torey Lovullo indicated it's not a serious concern and the 28-year-old could see game action as early as Tuesday, though there's no reason to rush him back at the start of spring training. Walker burst onto the scene in 2019 with a .259/.248/.476 slash line and 29 home runs in 152 games, and he's slated to begin this season as Arizona's starter at first base.

Walker went 2-for-3 with a grand slam and a solo home run in Saturday's 6-5 win over the Padres.

Walker opened the scoring with a solo shot in the second inning off Padres starter Garrett Richards. The first baseman then took reliever David Bednar deep in the seventh, putting an exclamation point on the comeback effort. Walker is up to 29 homers, 73 RBI and 85 runs scored while slashing .259/.349/.476 in 151 games.

Walker sits for the second straight game Wednesday against St. Louis.

Walker didn't start Tuesday's game but wound up receiving six plate appearances in the 19-inning epic, going 0-for-4 with a pair of walks. Kevin Cron gets the start at first base Wednesday.

Walker will not be in the lineup for Tuesday's game against the Cardinals.

Walker has gone 9-for-20 with a pair of homers over his last six games. Jake Lamb will get the start at first base in his absence.

Walker went 3-for-4 with a solo home run and two runs scored in a 9-7 defeat for the Diamondbacks against the Cardinals on Monday.

It was the 27th homer of the year for Walker, who cranked a fourth-inning solo shot off Adam Wainwright. It's been a streaky season for the 28-year-old, but his overall numbers are solid, to the tune of a .261/.346/.471 slash line across 147 games.

Walker went 2-for-4 with a solo home run and another run scored in Wednesday's 5-4 win over the Marlins.

Walker launched a solo homer in the fifth inning to extend Arizona's lead to 5-3. After recently enduring a 2-for-24 slump, Walker appears to be heating up once again. He's batting .259/.342/.466 on the season with 26 home runs and 78 runs scored.

Walker went 3-for-4 with a double and two RBI in Tuesday's 12-6 win over the Marlins. He also reached base when he was hit by a pitch.

Walker got back on track after managing only two hits and no RBI in 24 at-bats over his past seven games. The 28-year-old's slugging production has come to a bit of a standstill in the second half, but he doesn't appear in much danger of losing hold of his everyday job at first base with Jake Lamb having an even rougher time at the plate since the All-Star break.

Walker is not starting Monday against the Marlins.

Walker has gone 2-for-28 over his last eight games. Jake Lamb gets the nod at first base Monday in his absence.

Walker is not starting Sunday against the Reds.

Walker owns a strong .308/.379/.519 line over his last 14 games. Jake Lamb starts at first base in his place Sunday.

Walker is not in the lineup for Sunday's game against the Dodgers.

Walker started the last eight contests and will receive a breather after posting a 1.041 OPS in that stretch. Eduardo Escobar and Jake Lamb will cover the corner infield spots for the Diamondbacks.

Walker went 1-for-4 with a two-run home run in Saturday's 6-5 win over the Dodgers.

Walker's two-run blast in the fourth inning off Clayton Kershaw, his 24th, helped erase the Dodgers' 3-0 lead, then his diving stop initiated a 3-6-1 double play in the ninth inning to help preserve the win. The 28-year-old native of Pennsylvania has enjoyed a breakout season in 2019 with 24 home runs and an .828 OPS. Some may have wondered if the hot start he showed in March and April would sustain, but more than 500 plate appearances into the season, he has grabbed hold of the everyday job at first base.

Walker went 2-for-3 with a walk, stolen base, RBI and a run Tuesday in the Diamondbacks' 3-2 win over the Giants.

Considering Walker had 15 stolen bases in total across his seven prior seasons in the professional ranks, his involvement -- and success -- on the basepaths has perhaps been the most surprising aspect of his breakthrough year in the desert. Along with his providing an .832 OPS through 125 games, Walker has gone 8-for-9 on steal attempts. His eight stolen bases trail only Danny Santana among all players in baseball who have primarily played first base this season.

Walker went 3-for-5 with a home run, a double, two RBI and two runs scored in Sunday's 5-2 win over the Brewers.

Walker's first-inning blast put the Diamondbacks on top early as they salvaged the final game of the series. The homer was Walker's 23rd and first in seven games. His run production pace has slowed down in August with just six RBI in 21 games.

Walker is not in the lineup Wednesday against the Rockies.

Walker has started nine of the past 10 games, slashing .216/.275/.378 with two home runs during that stretch. Jake Lamb is covering first base in his stead Wednesday.

Walker went 1-for-2 with a solo home run in Saturday's 11-6 loss to the Giants.

Walker entered as part of a double switch in the seventh inning and clubbed his 22nd homer of the year off Giants reliever Andrew Suarez in the bottom half of the frame. The first baseman owns a .260/.348/.479 line with 56 RBI an 64 runs scored across 116 games this year.

Walker is not in Saturday's lineup against the Giants.

He is hitting .306 with one home run in 49 at-bats this month. Jake Lamb is starting at first base, hitting fifth.