Torey Lovullo is still figuring out his outfield alignment just days before the season opener
Mar 18, 2026; Salt River Pima-Maricopa, Arizona, USA; Arizona Diamondbacks center fielder Alek Thomas makes the running catch for an out against the Chicago Cubs in the second inning at Salt River Fields at Talking Stick.
Mandatory Credit: Rick Scuteri-Imagn Images | Rick Scuteri-Imagn Images Readers will note the asterisks next to Jordan Lawlar and Alek Thomas' names in the list above. That is because manager Torey Lovullo has not completely settled upon, or at least has not informed the media of his plans, for who will get the the lion's share ofMonday night's exhibition lineup against the Guardians featured Lawlar in left field and Thomas in center. Lovullo was asked if we should read into that lineup as a decision being made.Lovullo seemed to indicate that they could possibly switch back and forth between the positions. "I just want to make sure that they both get familiar with the spacing in both spots, and I'm going to continue to look at it," Lovullo said. "Lawlar's emerging as a really good center fielder, and I don't want to take that opportunity away from him."" is already a really good center fielder, I want to see how it continues to look and watch him grow and develop. AT has been a great teammate. How it looks and shakes down, I don't know. But probably we'll flip flop and back and forth and just have discussions with Dave McKay and see it through his eyes a little bit," said Lovullo As of this writing, Lovullo had still not decided who will start in center field. One other factor that was brought up to Lovullo was pitcher handedness and whether that might have an impact on his fielding alignment.While the manager would not take up the platoon discussion in depth, it would certainly seem to be a factor over the long haul. Thomas has had an excellent spring training, and hit well during the World Baseball Classic as well. A mechanics change, greatly reducing his leg kick has done wonders for his timing., 290 of them coming against left-hand pitching. He's hit just .191 with a .497 OPS versus same-side pitching. He'll need to make significant improvement in this area to avoid being platooned. With switch-hitter Jorge Barrosa and right-handed batter Tim Tawa on the roster, Lovullo might very well slide Lawlar over to center field against left-hand pitchers and have either Barrosa or Tawa take over in left.Feb 25, 2026; Salt River Pima-Maricopa, Arizona, USA; Arizona Diamondbacks second baseman Ildemaro Vargas fields a ball in the third inning against the Los Angeles Dodgers at Salt River Fields at Talking Stick. Mandatory Credit: Matt Kartozian-Imagn Images | Matt Kartozian-Imagn Images Illdemaro Vargas was a non-roster invitee, and once again has worked his way onto the Diamondbacks roster. He did so this time with a huge spring training, batting .378 with a .600 slugging percentage in 46 plate appearances. Vargas has been acquired by the D-backs one way or another five separate times and played in parts of six major league seasons with the club. He's been a .253 hitter with a .655 OPS in 432 plate appearances while playing for Arizona."I love his versatility," said Lovullo. "He can play second, third, short. We had no first baseman for the final two and a half weeks of the season last year. We put him at first base in a pennant race. It's crazy. And he held his own. "The at-bat is a solid at-bat, and I feel like when you are a bench player you've got to be able to reverse velocity. You've got to be able to handle somebody's best fastball. Walk up to the plate and hit 95-plus because that's what you're going to see late in the ballgame."JACK SOMMERS Jack Sommers is a credentialed beat writer for Arizona Diamondbacks ON SI. He's also the co-host of the Snakes Territory Podcast and Youtube channel. Formerly a baseball operations department analyst for the D-backs, Jack also covered the team for MLB.com, The Associated Press, and SB Nation. Follow Jack on Twitter @shoewizard59
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